Elected officials, community members and parents are calling on Madison Metropolitan School District to expedite its investigation and looking for more accountability after allegations that a Madison East High School teacher fed a child dog food.
On Feb. 27, State Rep. Shelia Stubbs; Debra Hawkes, the mother of the child that is alleged to have been fed dog food; and community members held a press conference at the Wisconsin State Capitol following the incident at East High. It is alleged that Hawke’s son Jaden, who is 15 years old and is autistic and non-verbal, was fed dog food by staff on Feb. 13.
“When we trust and we know that trust is broken, it is one of the greatest betrayals that a parent can experience,” Rep. Stubbs said. “This is shameful, and this is unacceptable. As a former special ed teacher, I am appalled that this incident took place and that families and students are suffering from mistreatment from staff and do not get the response that is necessary, and that is immediately.”
The incident recently came to light over a week later after Hawkes sought answers from recent change in behavior from her child. She noted he showed signs of aggression and abnormal changes in his bowel movements.
A photo has circulated around social media of a can of Nurtish dog food with a plastic spoon. Hawkes received the photo from the principal of Madison East — who received the photo from a teacher — more than a week later.
“They didn’t tell me about the situation until Tuesday at 4 p.m. the next week,” Hawkes said. “I should have got some answers by now. I should feel a little bit more at ease … but as far as Madison East High School, they didn’t give me nothing.”
Hawkes sought answers as to why the incident occurred. She was told that there’s an investigation, but her frequent visits and calls have yielded no answers on why the incident happened.
Hawkes was joined by Andrea Shorter Amos, CEO of Creating a Village, who had her own experience with a school district investigation after her child planned a suicide attempt.
“I, too, have undergone scrutiny from the district in regards to my own child where it took two years to fight with the school system to help my child who was going to commit suicide at the school, and they found no reason to take accountability for the situation that happened to her,” Amos said.
Amos said that waiting long periods of time, like two years for her child, before anything can be done, is not something every child and parent has time for. She urged MMSD Superintendent Dr. Joe Gothard to meet with parents for meaningful action now.
The Dane County Chapter of the NAACP also joined the press conference. In 2024, it approved a resolution supporting families impacted by Autism Spectrum Disorder and its prevalence over the past two decades.
“This issue that we’re now here today learning about, advocating for, falls into three issues,” said Greg Jones, president of the Dane County NAACP. “One, civil rights. The cornerstone of the individual with disabilities education act is entitlement of each [sic] eloquent child with a disability to a free, appropriate public education that emphasizes special education and related services to meet the child’s unique needs.”
The other issues include trust in school support staff that has been eroded and equity and inclusion for all.
Jones challenges the community to take accountability and ensure that other children are not impacted by incidents similar to the one the Hawkes endured.
Overall demands from the press conference looked to bring accountability, a response for Hawkes from MMSD, a look into the investigation protocol from MMSD, a response and investigation from the Department of Public Instruction, answers to the questions Hawkes has asked, and an investigation from the Madison Police Department.
Madison Metropolitan School District has placed the staff member on leave, said MMSD public information officer Ian Folger. Because of privacy laws, they are unable to share further information at this time.
“The Madison Metropolitan School District takes student safety and well-being seriously. We have zero tolerance for actions that compromise student safety and well-being. When issues arise, we respond immediately and must also follow due process,” MMSD said in a statement. “We are committed to providing students with a safe learning environment. Staff procedures and protocols are being reviewed, and additional training regarding snack protocol will be provided to staff to help ensure this does not happen again.”
