Milwaukee School Security Guard Charged With Grooming Middle School Students

A security guard and coach at a Milwaukee middle school is facing criminal charges after investigators say he sent sexually suggestive Instagram messages to several students and offered to buy one of them shoes in exchange for a favor. Antonious Partee worked as a security guard at Lincoln Center of the Arts Middle School, according to a criminal complaint filed against him, and is now accused of grooming multiple Milwaukee Public Schools students.

Partee faces one count of grooming a child for sexual activity involving two or more children and three counts of sexual misconduct by a school staff member or volunteer, according to the criminal complaint as reported by WISN. The complaint concerns conduct alleged to have occurred between April and August of this year, and includes allegations that Partee made sexual comments to students and contacted them late at night.

According to the complaint, Partee sent the sexually suggestive Instagram messages to several students beginning in April. He reportedly told investigators he was the only person with access to the account in question. Partee has acknowledged making inappropriate comments to students, per the complaint, though the full scope of what he admitted to is not detailed beyond that acknowledgment.

Guard Cites Drinking Problem That 'Worsened' Over Summer

Partee told investigators he has a drinking problem that worsened over the summer months while he was not working at the school, the complaint states. It is unclear from the complaint how that admission relates to the timeline of the alleged messages, which investigators say began in April while school was still in session.

The station reports that it contacted Milwaukee Public Schools for comment on the case, and separately reached out to Partee regarding his current employment status. Neither response is detailed in the available reporting.

What Wisconsin Law Says About the Charges

Under Wisconsin Statute § 948.075, using a computerized communication system to contact a minor under 16 with intent to facilitate illegal sexual contact is a Class C felony, according to the Wisconsin State Legislature. Class C felonies in the state carry maximum penalties of up to 40 years in prison. Separately, Wisconsin Statute § 948.095 classifies sexual misconduct by a school staff member or volunteer against a student as a Class H felony, which the Van Severen Law Office notes carries up to six years of imprisonment along with mandatory sex offender registration.

The charges also arrive just months after Wisconsin lawmakers tightened reporting rules for exactly this kind of allegation. Enacted in December 2025, 2025 Wisconsin Act 57 requires public school districts to notify parents or legal guardians the same day a credible report of staff sexual misconduct is received, per the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction. Whether that same-day notification requirement was triggered in Partee's case, and when MPS administration first learned of the alleged messages, remains unclear from available reporting.

Screening Standards for School Security Staff

Milwaukee Public Schools requires all applicants for school safety assistant positions to complete a criminal background check, drug screening, and physical exam as a condition of employment, according to the district's own hiring standards. Safety assistants are tasked with monitoring campus grounds, reporting potential criminal activity, and conducting preliminary internal investigations when directed by administrators, per the district's position specifications.

Lincoln Center of the Arts, located at 820 E. Knapp Street, serves students in grades 6 through 8 as an arts-focused magnet school within the district. Federal data compiled by Niche shows the school enrolled roughly 309 students in that grade range during the 2024–2025 academic year, with a student-to-teacher ratio of approximately 15 to 1.

The case lands amid broader scrutiny of educator misconduct statewide. An investigation reported by The Cap Times in October 2025 found that Wisconsin's Department of Public Instruction had investigated more than 200 educators across the state accused of sexual misconduct or grooming. Under state law, all school district employees are designated mandatory reporters of suspected child abuse, and districts are required to provide students with protective behavior instruction on recognizing and reporting enticement or improper adult conduct.