The Dane County District Attorney plans to file criminal charges against former Sun Prairie West High School principal Jennifer Ploeger for allegedly failing to report child abuse, following investigations tied to two separate incidents at the school.
Ploeger, the former principal of Sun Prairie West High School, may face charges after the Sun Prairie Police Department recommended prosecution based on its findings. The department’s recommendation stems from inquiries into two different cases involving staff conduct and student safety concerns.
The first incident led to 30-year-old Robert Gilkey-Meisegeier of Madison, the former Dean of Students at the school, to be charged with 13 felony counts of possession of child pornography and two felony counts of child sexual exploitation. Gilkey-Meisegeir was arrested on July 24, 2025, after being fired from his post on June 9, 2025.
His removal prompted the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction to investigate multiple district staffers’ licenses. (RELATED: Derrick Van Orden Breaks Ranks on ACA Subsidies to Protect Healthcare Access for Wisconsin)
Months before, allegations against a different teacher arose in January 2025. The teacher was accused by multiple students of engaging in “physical contact and sexual conversations involving students.” The accusations resulted in a Title IX investigation, the teacher being reassigned to another school district without criminal charges. and the victim ultimately decided not to press criminal charges.
The findings from the independent investigations on both incidents were released by the Sun Prairie Area School District board on January 6, 2026.
The findings conclud that the “[s]chool-level and district-level administrators failed to recognize Title IX obligations, which…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…to go unaddressed.”
The investigation also raised concerns over the leadership of then-principal Ploeger and the Director of School Operations, Bridget Kotarak. “While [there was] no evidence of malicious intent or mandatory reporting violations, the failures in judgment and process were significant and raise serious concerns about the ability of Ploeger and Kotarak to maintain credibility and effectiveness in their roles going forward.”
Sun Prairie Police Chief Kevin Warynch echoed the concerns, stating that schools are supposed to be partners in keeping children safe. “Wisconsin law is very clear. When abuse or neglect is suspected, report[ing] it to law enforcement or Child Protective Services is mandatory, not discretionary. We rely on schools to be partners in protecting children. Parents must know that their children are safe at school. Students must know adults will act when concerns arise. Educators and administrators must know that mandated reporting laws exist to protect children.”
However, Jason Luczack, Ploeger’s attorney, denied his clients guilty of any of the charges. “We agree with the independent investigators’ conclusions that no mandatory reporting violations occurred. There was no finding of any criminal law violations, including any failures to report under the mandatory reporting laws.”
Luczak says Ploeger did fully cooperate with all investigations, and plans to fight the charges. (RELATED: Economy Closes Out 2025 on Strong Note Despite Grim Predictions)
