Ex-Sun Prairie principal to face child abuse reporting charges

Former Sun Prairie West High School principal Jennifer Ploeger will be charged with two counts of failing to report child abuse, according to her attorney.

The charges are related to an investigation into child sex crimes at the Sun Prairie Area School District in 2025.

Former Dean of Students Robert Gilkey-Meisegeier was arrested in July.

He was charged with 13 counts of possession of child pornography and two counts of child sexual exploitation. He was also indicted by a federal grand jury on charges of producing, attempting to produce and possessing child sexual abuse materials.

Ploeger was removed from her position following Gilkey-Meisegeier’s arrest.

Sun Prairie Police Chief Kevin Warych said an incident in April involving Gilkey-Meisegeier and a student resulted in the dean being placed on administrative leave. But the allegations were not reported to either the Sun Prairie Police Department or the Dane County Child Protective Services as mandatory reporting laws require.

Another incident involving a different Sun Prairie School District staff member was also not reported by Ploeger, Warych said.

“Protecting children is not a priority, but it is our duty. It is the foundation of our work,” Warych said.

Ploeger’s attorney, Jason Luczak, preempted the announcement with a press conference in Milwaukee. Ploeger was not in attendance.

“Her heart was always in the right place, and she was always trying to do the right thing for the children and trying to manage the situation,” Luczak said. “And frankly, there was no intent she had to protect someone. Her biggest priority has been to protect kids.”

The charges are a misdemeanor. If convicted, Ploeger could spend up to six months in prison.

Dozens of parents in the Sun Prairie Area School District accused the administration of enabling Gilkey-Meisegeier’s predatory behavior by “ignoring complaints, dismissing concerns, and silencing or intimidating those who tried to speak up.”

An independent investigation released last week substantiated those allegations.

The Sun Prairie School Board said the investigation was conducted to find out if any school district employees were aware of inappropriate conduct and whether any school district employees failed to report any suspected child abuse in a timely manner.

Investigators cited “several critical issues” with the district’s handling of allegations of sexual misconduct.

According to the report, Ploeger and Assistant Principal Ed Ford informally investigated rumors about Gilkey-Meisegeier’s relationship with a student but dismissed them as being retaliatory.

Ploeger directed Assistant Principal Nehemirah Barrett to suspend a student who was heard speaking on a phone call about the relationship between Gilkey-Meisegeier, according to the report.

“Investigative practices were poor, with limited interviews, lack of documentation, and an HR-centric approach that was not primarily focused on the students involved,” investigators found. “Communication breakdowns allowed key information to go unaddressed. Disciplinary decisions and GilkeyMeisegeier’s involvement clearly created an appearance of favoritism toward Student A, further eroding trust.”

Luczak said the investigation did not find Ploeger did anything illegal. He said she is being used as a “scapegoat.”

“Obviously, there are things that could be done differently now that we know what was going on in the school,” Luczak said. “She had no intent at all, as far as not reporting these things. Maybe mistakes were made, but there was absolutely no criminal intent, and that’s what the independent investigator came up to a conclusion.

Warych said police also referred failure to report charges to the Dane County District Attorney’s office for Chris Sadler, the district’s director of human resources. At this time, Sadler is not being charged, Warych said.

In a statement released Jan. 6, the Sun Prairie School Board said the safety and well-being of students is its highest priority.

“We recognize that the findings in this report and the accountability that arises out of it are complex for all of us,” the statement says. “Any time an investigation has implications for so many careholders within our community, the impact is significant.”

Justin Smith has two sons in the Sun Prairie School District and was one of the parents who helped organize the parent group, the Sun Prairie Community for Safer Schools, last year.

He says the findings in the report are not surprising. But he also isn’t confident there will be meaningful changes in the school district.

“Most of us are very exhausted, and we never expected this to be such a long uphill battle,” Smith said. “We hoped that with the arrest and the exposed failures, leadership would change (what is happening). But reading the report and looking at the statements from the board, we’re still in this circle of lacking accountability.”