Substitute barred from working at a St. Francis school

A substitute teacher has been banned from working at a school in the St. Francis School District after some fourth-grade students said the teacher made them feel uncomfortable and unsafe.

In an April 25 letter to parents, Deer Creek Intermediate School principal Ben Williams said that during a lesson on World War II, the substitute "spoke a little too freely about Nazi Germany and asked the students if they wanted her to act like Hitler while speaking in a German accent."

"She further confused students by speaking Spanish at random times and then making them feel bad for not understanding her. She yelled and called at least one student an unkind name," Williams wrote.

Williams praised the students for sharing their concerns with other teachers, who shared the students' concerns with administration.

"I sent the substitute home and we took time to talk with students and make sure they felt heard," Williams said.

Students had their regular classes with the school's art, music and physical education teachers, and Williams covered the students' wellness and homeroom classes in the afternoon.

"Please know that I am taking steps to make sure that this substitute does not serve in our school in the future. I am sharing this information so you are able to help your child further process a rough morning, enjoy the long weekend, and return for a much better day on Monday," Williams wrote.

In an April 30 email to a reporter, St. Francis School District superintendent Deborah Kerr said the substitute has been blocked from serving in the school building in the future. She declined to name the substitute, saying it was a personnel issue. Kerr added that the incident occurred April 25, and the substitute was employed through Teachers on Call, a substitute staffing service. Kerr said the substitute had not worked at the school this school year before the April 25 incident.

Contact Alec Johnson at (262) 875-9469 or alec.johnson@jrn.com. Follow him on Twitter at@AlecJohnson12.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Substitute barred from working at a St. Francis school