OSHKOSH (NBC 26) — The Wisconsin Education Association Council (WEAC) has accused the Oshkosh Area School District of using Vel Phillips Middle School dean of students as a scapegoat after a January student arrest.
In a statement, WEAC region 5 director John Horn responded to OASD's decision to suspend dean of students Christopher Willems through the end of the 2024-25 school year.
Horn said the district disciplined Willems due to his decision to involve the school resource officer in an incident on Jan. 10 at the middle school.
The incident resulted in the SRO handcuffing and arresting the student for threatening a police officer, according to the Oshkosh Police Department.
The incident began with the student refusing to give up his cell phone.
“The student was roaming the halls, peering into classrooms, pushing into the Dean of Students, and generally acting in a disruptive and erratic manner. At that point the matter was no longer about a cell phone but instead was about addressing a serious disruption," said Horn. "In hindsight the Dean of Students has reflected that he would have handled things differently and regrets that the incident ended with the student being placed in handcuffs and charged."
Horn said the district initially decided not to terminate Willems, but to suspend him for five days.
“What changed in the several weeks between when the district administration signed this agreement and when it reversed itself and placed the employee on indefinite leave is that members of the Oshkosh news media showed interest in the incident and filed information requests," said Horn.
Horn accused the district of folding to public pressure and going back on their initial agreement of a five day suspension.
“Rather than answering questions from the media and the public about their own investigation, policies, and decisions, and presenting the facts about the incident, many of which have not been included or have been misconstrued in media reports, district administrators are attempting to avoid doing so by scapegoating the employee involved," he said. "The school district’s policy and personnel decisions should be based on facts and what is in the best educational interests of students, not on public opinion.”
In response, OASD sent the following statement to NBC26.
"Personnel decisions within the district are the result of thorough internal reviews conducted in compliance with established district policies and legal requirements, ensuring a fair and consistent process. While privacy laws prevent the district from commenting on specific personnel matters or individual student situations, all decisions are made based on the facts known to us and in accordance with our established procedures, with the goal of supporting the best educational environment for all students."
NBC26 reached out to Willems for comment on the incident but did not hear back.
