A student who the school says was under the influence of an unknown substance was tased by police as officers were trying to take the student into custody.
In a letter sent to parents, the principal Nick Hughes said at around noon on Friday, school resource officers tried to physically escort the student from the building when the student resisted.
The student tried to fight one of the officers, and a second resource officer jumped in. After the two could not restrain the student, they used a taser.
The student continued to resist after the taser was deployed. An ambulance and more officers were also called out to the school.
The letter did not explain what happened to the student after the altercation.
The incident happened at the main office of Wauwatosa East. No other students were in danger, but several witnessed the altercation from the cafeteria. The school's crisis response team worked with students and staff who witnessed the incident.
Here’s the full letter sent to parents:
Dear East High School Families We had an unfortunate incident occur at East High School today (1/18/19) that we need to make you aware of. During the noon hour, school resource officers attempted to physically escort a student from the building after it was determined the student may have been under the influence of an unknown substance. The student became highly agitated and began to resist the officer. As a result, the officer attempted to take the student into custody. The student continued to resist and physically fight the officer. A second school resource officer, who happened to be in the building, stepped in to assist with the situation. When the two officers could not restrain the combative student, one of the officers deployed his taser. The incident occurred in the main office. No other students were ever in danger, however, a number of students did witness the struggle from the cafeteria. As the incident unfolded, per our standard emergency response protocol, staff worked to clear students from the cafeteria into another part of the building. An ambulance and additional officers responded to the school to assist with the student involved. The student continued to resist officers after the taser was deployed. This afternoon our crisis response team followed up with students and staff who witnessed the incident to discuss what happened, to the extent they are able, and to help students and staff process any concerns they may have. If your child expresses any concern about what they witnessed or have heard, please encourage them to connect with one of our school counselors for additional support. We are not able to share any additional information at this time, but want you to know the facts so that if your child brings this up, you are equipped to engage in a conversation. Sincerely, Nick Hughes Principal
