It’s become increasingly common for the parents or guardians of juveniles to face criminal charges when their kid brings a gun to school, but this is the first time I can recall a school district employee being charged with a crime in connection with a student-brought gun. 

The former principal of Milwaukee’s Thurston Woods School pleaded guilty this past week to a misdemeanor charge of misconduct in public office in connection with an incident that happened last February. According to the criminal complaint, a teacher at the school found a gun under a staircase and brought it to Dennis Daniels. Instead of alerting police immediately, however, Daniels instead waited a full day before taking the gun to a local substation. And when did report finding the firearm, he claimed to have discovered outside the school building. 

When police investigated, a student informed them that am 11-year-old classmate had pointed the gun at them and pulled the trigger. The weapon didn’t fire, either because it was unloaded or it jammed, but this was still an incredibly serious incident. 

Daniels was originally charged with a felony, but was able to plead down to a misdemeanor, and saw a separate charge of obstruction of justice (for lying to police about where the gun was found) dismissed. If Daniels had been convicted on the original charges he could have been looking at a year or more in prison, but instead he got away with the criminal justice equivalent of a few days of detention.

Dennis Daniels, 53, was sentenced to four days in the Community Reintegration Center, a Franklin-based county-run facility formerly known as the House of Corrections. However, he had a credit of four days served by the time sentencing took place Jan. 30.

Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Danielle L. Shelton handed down the sentence. 

… About a dozen people submitted letters to the court in support of Daniels, calling him an “upright and trustworthy person,” a “respectful and eager” educator, a community role model and a “strategic thinker and problem solver.”

“He is a God-fearing man who is a beacon of hope for many. He is needed in his community,” wrote Lisa Marion-Howard, a retired principal in MPS. She asked for leniency in Daniels’ sentencing. 

Daniels’ colleague of over 25 years from MPS, Redona Williams, said Daniels is an advocate for at-risk and underprivileged students. She called him a professional colleague who is “firm but fair” to students.

“Having known Mr. Daniels for over half of my life (I know) he is an individual that demonstrates high integrity and is an exemplary person in our community. He is a family-oriented person who has consistently presented himself with levelheadedness and poise,” wrote Ayanna Lee, Daniels’ high school classmate.

I suppose there’s an argument to be made that it’s shocking in its own right that Daniels was actually charged with a crime for not calling authorities after a student brought a gun to school, but I’m still appalled by the leniency shown to him by the judge. Daniels might very well be a “strategic thinker and problem solver”, but “trustworthy”?  That’s a stretch.

Even if Daniels was hoping to spare a troubled student a visit from police and potential charges of his own, this isn’t something you can just brush under the rug. I can’t imagine that parents were pleased to hear that Daniels didn’t want to rat out the kid with the gun. If he’s willing to cover that up, what else would he have kept from authorities in order to keep one of his students out of legal trouble? 

Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers has been demanding the Republican-majority legislature pass a slew of gun control bills this session. Instead, they should be looking to increase the penalties for violent offenses… along with upping the punishment for public officials who keep parents and law enforcement in the dark when elementary school kids bring guns onto campus.