handling of mandatory reporting after the arrest of a Sun Prairie West High School dean for child sex crimes. The investigation states staff and administrators were notified about the rumors multiple times but failed to initiate a Title IX investigation. One student at the school was suspended for two days for saying the dean was a “pedophile” and involved with a student.
The report states Superintendent Brad Saron was not made aware of the allegations until June 1, when the police investigation was underway.
The scandals escalated earlier this year following the arrest of West High School dean Robert Gilkey-Meisegeier, who is accused of having sexual contact with students and taking nonconsensual photos of individuals using school surveillance cameras.
The school’s Principal Jennifer Ploeger was removed from her role after Gilkey-Meisegeier’s arrest, and multiple district staffers have had their licenses put under investigation by the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction.
Attorney Samuel C. Hall Jr. was hired to lead an independent investigation into how the allegations against Gilkey-Meisegeier were handled. The report states rumors about Gilkey-Meisegeier having an inappropriate relationship with Student A began circulating around the high school during the 2023-2024 school year. The administration believed the rumors stemmed from a conflict between students.
Ploeger and Assistant Principal Ed Ford informally investigated the rumors, according to the report. The two concluded the rumors were retaliatory, and no action was taken.
During the 2024-2025 school year, the rumors persisted. Tensions escalated on November 13, 2024, when a student, who had not previously been involved, was suspended for two days after loudly voicing on a phone call that Gilkey-Meisegeier was involved with Student A. Youth advocates overheard the conversation and immediately informed Ploeger, the report states. Ploeger then instructed newly hired Assistant Principal Nehemirah Barrett to suspend the student and inform Gilkey-Meisegeier once the discipline was carried out.
“Before suspending this student, Barrett did not meet with Student A, Gilkey-Meisegeier, or anyone else – he was simply following Ploeger’s orders. After receiving confirmation from Wampole that the student had indeed been discussing the rumors loudly in the commons area, Barrett and Ploeger believed they had enough evidence to impose a consequence on this student,” the report states.
Ploeger told investigators she was unaware of the incident until after the student was suspended. When investigators showed her text messages to Barrett discussing discipline before it occurred, she claimed to have forgotten about that, according to the report.
“I did not find Ploeger to be credible in any respect related to the November 2024 suspension,” the report states.
More individuals were made aware of the rumors when an anonymous tip was sent to the school district on April 3, 2025.
“I am writing to express concerns about the safety and well-being of a student at Sun Prairie West High School, [Student A]…. I believe she is being subjected to inappropriate behavior by Robert Gilkey-Meisegeier, the dean of the school,” the tip stated.
The two people receiving the tip were Director of School Operations Bridget Kotarak and Assistant Superintendent Nicholas Reichhoff. Only Kotarak received the full text of the submission. Kotarak forwarded the tip to Ploeger and Director of Human Resources Chris Sadler. Gilkey-Meisegeier was placed on leave and interviewed by Sadler.
“Following her receipt, review, and forwarding of the tip to Ploeger and Sadler, Kotarak had no further involvement despite being the District’s Title IX coordinator,” the report states.
Sadler was primarily concerned about potential work rule violations and did not interview any students other than Student A, review any records, or examine disciplinary history, according to the report. Gilkey-Meisegeier returned to work on April 8, 2025.
On May 29, 2025, three female students received Snapchat messages alleging that a student other than Student A had engaged in sexual activity with staff members at West High School. A youth advocate and special education teacher both informed social services and the school resource officer about the allegations. This led to more students coming forward and a Sun Prairie Police investigation, ultimately resulting in the arrest of Gilkey-Meisegeier.
“In summary, the investigation revealed several critical issues. School-level and district-level administrators failed to recognize Title IX obligations, which I believe resulted in insufficient investigations into serious allegations. Investigative practices were poor, with limited interviews, lack of documentation, and an HR-centric approach that was not primarily focused on the students involved. Communication breakdowns allowed key information (such as a student being suspended despite indicating that text messages supported her allegations and the ‘suspension’ of a bystander to the April 2 incident) to go unaddressed. Disciplinary decisions and Gilkey-Meisegeier’s involvement clearly created an appearance of favoritism toward Student A, further eroding trust,” the report states.
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