Milwaukee assistant principal charged with assaulting relative in front of other staff, students
A Milwaukee Public Schools assistant high school principal is accused of dragging a relative to the floor, punching and berating them in front of school staff, who did nothing to intervene while other children looked on, according to a criminal complaint.
The complaint accuses Toilisa Lockett, an assistant principal of 10th grade at Washington High School of Information Technology, of intentional physical abuse of a child and mental harm to a child. The incident involved an 11-year-old student who is related to Lockett and who attended the Golda Meir School Upper Campus.
The Journal Sentinel does not typically identify crime victims without their permission.
A Milwaukee Public Schools spokesperson said in an email the district could not comment on personnel matters, including Lockett’s employment status or any disciplinary history.
Lockett’s attorney, Jason Baltz, declined to comment on the case or to speak to Lockett’s employment status.
The Journal Sentinel has filed a public records request seeking further information on Lockett’s employment status, any disciplinary history in the district and employment history.
An official with the state Department of Public Instruction said the department has no record of any previous misconduct investigation into Lockett.
Lockett appeared virtually Friday for a preliminary hearing in Milwaukee County Circuit Court, and Baltz entered a not-guilty plea on her behalf, online state court records show.
Each of the charges against Lockett is a felony. The physical abuse charge carries a maximum fine of $10,000 and six years in prison while the mental harm has a maximum fine of $25,000 and up to 12½ years in prison.
Lockett has been ordered not to have any further contact with the victim.
According to the complaint:
Officers were called to the school on April 23 to view security footage from April 19 that allegedly shows Lockett abusing the child. The officers were told the child had been sent to the school office for being disrespectful to school staff. Staff members contacted Lockett.
Security footage showed that after Lockett arrived at the school, she grabbed the child by the hair, dragged them to the floor and punched them “with a closed fist multiple times.”
At one point, Lockett attempted to get the child off the floor and then dropped them back down, where they lay in the fetal position.
For the next 10 to 15 minutes, Lockett is seen “getting in (the relative’s) face and berating (them)” and placing her hand on the child's neck, causing pain, the complaint said. The video shows the child crying and attempting to protect their head.
During the assault, multiple school staff watched and did not intervene, the complaint said. Other students also watched the assault.
In an interview with police, the child told an officer that they were kept away from school April 22 to keep the April 19 assault from being reported. The relative also told police the assault hurt, specifically when Lockett placed her hand on their neck.
During a medical examination, the child told a doctor they couldn’t breathe and felt dizzy during the assault.
The child told police the assault caused “significant embarrassment” and that they had been questioned by other students about it, and that rumors about it had spread.
In a police interview, Lockett said she “popped” the child and knew it was wrong.
Lockett told police the child is “athletic” and “bigger than her,” although Lockett outweighs the child by 45 pounds, the complaint noted.
A scheduling conference for Lockett is set for June 13 in court.
Contact David Clarey at dclarey@gannett.com or 605-579-0223. Follow him on X (Twitter) at @david_clarey
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: MPS assistant principal faces charges alleging assault of child
