Teacher allegedly locks child in closet, investigation underway

A teacher in the Jackson County Central School District in Minnesota is under investigation after video footage emerged online allegedly showing a middle school child locked in a classroom closet.

In the video, closet doors can be seen secured shut with two chairs. A girl walks up to the closet and knocks to see if the child inside is okay, when a voice off-camera, said to be that of the teacher, can be heard saying “No, no, no, no. Uh-huh.” “I’m not even doing anything,” the girl replied.

According to the Jackson County Pilot, the incident occurred in September, but the school district has only recently been made aware of it after the footage was shared widely on social media.

Another child’s voice can be heard saying, “he’s stuck in the closet,” followed by knocking from within the closet and a child saying, “Can I have help?” Other children are heard laughing.

In a statement on the school district’s Facebook page, superintendent Barry Schmidt informs parents that the district was aware of the video showing the alleged incident.

“[T]he District is prevented by state and federal privacy laws from discussing the specific details of the incident, or the individuals who may have been involved,” Schmidt explained to parents. “However, we can assure you that immediately upon learning of this incident, the District opened an investigation and placed the individual who was involved in the matter on administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation.  We continue to work through that investigation, and hope to have the matter concluded soon.”

“The health and safety of your children is one of the top priorities of the District,” parents were assured. “You put your trust in us to ensure that your children receive a top-notch education and to keep them safe while receiving that education.”

The response online was one of shock and outrage, with many questioning what had led to the child ending up locked in a classroom closet. 

“If you listen closely, you can hear the sounds of kids being conditioned that abusing others is normal and funny,” said one Reddit user. 

The school district also asked that this type of video not be shared online, for the sake of the reputations of staff members who may be involved. 

“[W]e would also ask that you please not share these types of videos or discuss these matters online due to the reputations of the students and staff members who may have been involved in these matters,” requested Schmidt. 

This is not the first allegation of its kind. The D.C. Public School District and the Metropolitan Police are investigating claims that a teacher at Lawrence Boone Elementary School also locked a student in a closet. Earlier this year, the Post Millennial reported on a story involving a child allegedly being locked in a room at school for not wearing a mask.