A Milwaukee kindergarten teacher has been placed on leave after she reportedly used a Ouija board in her classroom.
Milwaukee Public Schools removed the unidentified teacher from her classroom Tuesday night after a parent complained about an incident that happened Friday at Zablocki Elementary.
The teacher used the board as a prop while telling a scary story, according to WISN 12.
The complaining mother, who also wasn’t identified, told the station her 5-year-old son has been having nightmares since then.
“He’s scared now to go to bed at night, to be in the dark, anything alone,” she said.
The mother complained to the teacher, who explained how she had used the Ouija board in an email:
“The kids have been asking for a scary story and I got the board and moved the paper clip to answer some of their questions.
“They asked about scary characters in movies. I did not say there were spirits. It was all done in fun. I understand your concern. It was silly and I’m sorry. I will take the board home and this won’t happen again.”
The teacher added that the Ouija board had been in the class since October.
Milwaukee Public Schools did not immediately reply to a request for comment from HuffPost. Depending on the outcome of an internal investigation, the teacher could come back on the job.
Either way, the complaining parent is satisfied with the outcome, the mother told WISN 12, saying that maybe the teacher will “think twice” about her actions in the future.
In 2012, a different teacher in Bloomingdale, Florida, got in hot water under similar circumstances. Parents complained that she brought a Ouija board to a reading class as a prop. School district officials said at the time that “the teacher has been cautioned to consider the type of reactions the parents might have about what she brings into the classroom.”
To be clear: Ouija boards supposedly allow communication with dead spirits, but there’s been no evidence proving that.
Rather, some investigators believe using a Ouija board might allow some people to connect with their unconscious mind, according to Smithsonian Magazine.
