GRAFTON, Wis. (WFRV) — A Wisconsin middle school teacher has been charged for allegedly making threats toward students after finding swastikas in a classroom.
According to the Grafton Police Department, on May 12, officers were called to John Long Middle School for a teacher who allegedly made inappropriate and “alarming” statements to his class.
The teacher, 46-year-old David Schroeder, has been charged with making terrorist threats, according to online court records.
Schroeder, who is Jewish, said in a statement that he became “enraged after he found student artwork and a notebook in his classroom with swastikas drawn on them,” Grafton Police reported.
He reportedly went on to admit that he told the class he would “send his daughter to their homes with a baseball bat” and “go scorched Earth on them.” Schroeder also reportedly admitted to wishing pain upon the students and their families.
According to authorities, a student texted his mother from class about Schroeder’s statement, adding that he had told the class that he owned 17 guns. It was parents that ultimately contacted police, not the school, Assistant District Attorney Benjamin Lindsay told WISN.
In a statement Friday, Grafton Schools Superintendent Jeff Nelson said Schroeder was “immediately placed on leave and escorted from the building” after school administration became aware of the issue.
Schroeder voluntarily turned himself in and was arrested Friday after police contacted him. He was released on a $10,000 cash bond Tuesday, according to WISN, and was ordered to turn over any dangerous weapons in his possession to the Ozaukee County Sheriff’s Office.
Following Schroeder’s arrest, Grafton Police, as well as county and state authorities, increased their presence around the village’s schools “in response to concerns from faculty, students, and parents.”
School officials also told authorities that Schroeder was already being investigated for “other concerning or inappropriate behavior towards students,” WISN reports. His contract was not set to be renewed, either.
Court records show Schroeder is scheduled to appear for a preliminary hearing in June.
