MILWAUKEE— A woman from Milwaukee is facing six felony charges after prosecutors say she posed as a substitute teacher at Rufus King High School and taught students despite having no connection to the school district.
Amy Jones, 23, is charged with one count of impersonating a public employee and five counts of exposing a child to harmful descriptions.
According to the criminal complaint, Jones went to Rufus King High School on September 24 and signed in at the front desk as a substitute teacher, and was assigned to classrooms because several teachers had called in sick.
School officials later discovered Jones was not a substitute teacher and was not employed by Milwaukee Public Schools.
The complaint says several students record Jones in the classroom, and detectives later collected multiple videos as part of the investigation.
Students told police Jones made inappropriate and disturbing comments during class, including racial and sexual remarks. Investigators say she also separated students by race and gender and asked student personal questions about their sexuality.
One student told police Jones asked whether students were “gay or virgins.” Another student reported that Jones asked if she, “wanted to be a stripper or a hooker.”
The school’s principal told police that Jones was able to get into the classroom because there happened to be an unfilled substitute position that day. Jones was escorted out of the building after officials became aware of what was happening. The escort took place before the third class, after already being apart of two.
Detectives interviewed Jones on September 30. According to the criminal complaint, Jones admitted she was impersonating a teacher and said she had no training or experience as a substitute teacher.
She told investigators she went to Rufus King because she was bored. Jones acknowledged talking to students about sex, telling detectives she had given them a “birds and the bees” talk. When asked whether she thought that was appropriate, Jones said, “It was not appropriate.”
The complaint also states Jones told detectives she thought she was “going to be famous” because of what happened at the school.
Jones appeared in Milwaukee County court October 6 while in custody.
A court commissioner found probable cause to continue in the case and set a $5,000 signature bond. Jones was also ordered to Level 3 supervision through JusticePoint.
A no-contact order prohibits Jones from contacting several students named in the complaint, as well as Rufus King High School.
Her preliminary hearing is scheduled for October 20. If convicted on all six charges, Jones could face a combined maximum of 21 years in prison.
Milwaukee Public Schools shared a previous statement regarding the incident, that the school sent to families:
Dear Rufus King International High School Families and Staff,
We value you as a member of the school community and want to provide you with an update on the message below we shared with you late last month.
Since our first communication, our initial investigation determined that this individual involved was a former student recognized by staff. She was not a substitute teacher. We did involve our Milwaukee Police Department school resource officers (SROs) the day that this occurred. The district’s Title IX coordinator was also notified. In addition to any police actions resulting from this situation, the district is continuing with its own investigation.We will continue to take all appropriate action to ensure that Rufus King International High School remains a safe and welcoming place for our students and staff.
Thank you for your ongoing partnership and support.
Sincerely,
Doreen BadilloPrincipal
Rufus King International High School
