MILWAUKEE — A Milwaukee mother is speaking out after she says her fifth-grade son was pushed and grabbed by his teacher during class at Northwest Lutheran School, calling the incident unacceptable and demanding more safeguards to protect students.
Simone Buchanan said the school reached out to her following the incident. Her son also told TMJ4 about the aggressive encounter with his teacher in front of classmates off camera.
She contacted police and ultimately decided to speak publicly about what happened.
"The way my son explained it is, he just grabbed me from behind by my shoulders, shoved me outside of the classroom, and then pushed me out the door," Buchanan said.
Buchanan said the incident began as a conversation between her son and the teacher in front of the class, but escalated quickly. She claims the boy was not the aggressor, and he did nothing physically to instigate. She says he also didn't say anything to cause the scene.
The Milwaukee mom took her son to urgent care, where a doctor prescribed ibuprofen for shoulder, back and chest pain.
Watch: Milwaukee mom says teacher grabbed fifth-grader at private school; teacher fired
Milwaukee police confirmed they are investigating and said the suspect grabbed the boy, causing him pain. The teacher's name has not been released because no charges have been filed at this time.
The teacher was fired the same day as the incident. The teacher declined to comment when reached by phone.
Milwaukee police said officers responded to the school following the incident and are investigating the case as a possible battery. The matter has been referred to the Milwaukee County District Attorney's Office for review.
Northwest Lutheran School is operated by LUMIN Schools, a faith-based network of charter and choice schools in Milwaukee and Racine. Shaun Luehring, president and CEO of LUMIN Schools, released a statement addressing the incident.
"At LUMIN Schools, the physical, emotional and spiritual well-being of our students is our top priority. On Wednesday, February 18, one of our administrators observed an incident between a LUMIN teacher and a student at our Northwest Lutheran campus. The teacher's actions were a clear violation of LUMIN Schools' Standards of Conduct, and as a result, their employment was terminated immediately," Luehring said.
"LUMIN is continuing to coordinate with the Milwaukee Police Department and Child Protective Services to ensure all reporting protocols are followed and the matter is handled with the utmost care and transparency. While we are treating this as a sensitive personnel matter, we are cooperating fully with the relevant authorities as they conclude their review," Luehring said.
"Our commitment to providing a safe, Christ-centered environment remains steadfast. We will continue to provide our staff with the training and support necessary to uphold LUMIN's high standards of care, ensuring every student feels secure and supported in their academic and spiritual journey," Luehring said.
Buchanan said she believes there should be clearer guidelines for teacher conduct, as well as more training on conflict resolution. She expressed concern about her son's emotional well-being, noting that he still wants to attend classes but feels anxious about returning to school.
"I'm sharing this because no child should be treated this way," Buchanan said.
She hopes prosecutors charge the teacher. She's planning to file a restraining order against the man.
Northwest Lutheran School has pledged to review its policies and ensure staff understand disciplinary procedures. LUMIN Schools said it will cooperate fully with law enforcement as the investigation continues.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
It’s about time to watch on your time. Stream local news and weather 24/7 by searching for “TMJ4” on your device.
Available for download on Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, and more.
