A 23-year-old Milwaukee woman walked into Rufus King International High School, told office staff she was a substitute teacher, and spent part of a school day hurling slurs and sexually derogatory comments at students before the principal had her escorted out. Amy Jones now faces six felony charges.
According to prosecutors, Jones entered the school on September 24 and was placed in a classroom for the first three periods after telling office staff she was there to substitute teach. As reported by WISN, students told police that Jones used profane language, racial slurs and sexually derogatory statements, and that she organized students by race and gender during her time in the classroom.
A 16-year-old boy told police Jones cursed and screamed at students, called one student “fat boy,” and asked a female student if she wanted to be a stripper or a hooker. He also reported that she told two white boys they were the type of people to start school shootings, and other students said she asked them whether they were gay or virgins. At least one student recorded Jones's behavior and shared the recording with police, giving investigators direct digital evidence of the classroom conduct.
How a Stranger Got Three Periods in a Classroom
The breach happened on a day when eight teachers had called in sick at Rufus King, with only seven of those positions filled — leaving at least one slot open that Jones was able to fill. The school's principal said Jones “got lucky” because an unfilled position happened to exist that day, and became aware of the situation during third period, at which point Jones was escorted from the building.
Jones's entry into a classroom followed her telling office staff she was a substitute.
In her own account to investigators, Jones admitted to having what she described as a “birds and the bees talk” with students and acknowledged that her conduct “was not appropriate.” She reportedly told police she went to the school because she was bored, and said she hates kids and wanted to mess around, per the same account relayed by WISN.
A Magnet School Known for Academic Rigor
The incident stands out in part because of where it happened. Rufus King enrolled 1,308 students in grades 9 through 12 during the 2024–25 school year and earned an overall state accountability score of 73.4, an “Exceeds Expectations” rating, according to the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction. The school launched its International Baccalaureate program in 1979 and has consistently ranked among the top 10 public high schools in the state, according to Urban Milwaukee.
The breach also lands amid broader staffing strain across the district. Local union representatives have cited more than 230 teacher vacancies districtwide, a shortage that increases daily reliance on substitute coverage and, in this case, appears to have left an opening for an unauthorized adult to walk straight into a classroom.
Criminal Charges and Parallel District Review
Jones is charged with representing herself as a public employee, along with five additional felony counts of exposing a child to harmful descriptions.
Milwaukee Public Schools declined to comment on camera but said it is conducting its own investigation and plans to take all appropriate action to keep Rufus King International High School safe and welcoming.
Wisconsin lawmakers have moved in recent years to toughen penalties for public impersonation more broadly. Under 2025 Wisconsin Act 55, the Legislature raised criminal penalties for impersonating public emergency and safety personnel from Class A misdemeanors to Class I felonies carrying up to 3.5 years in prison, part of a wider statewide push to deter people from falsely assuming official roles.
How Jones made it past office staff without a background check, and what specific sign-in or verification steps failed that morning, remain open questions as both the criminal case and the district's internal review move forward.
