Hartstern Elementary School in Louisville, Ky. (Google Maps).
A former elementary school principal in Kentucky was accused of threatening two second-grade students with a gun that turned out to be fake.
A lawsuit filed against Duan Wright, whose age was undisclosed, mentioned the superintendent of Jefferson County Public Schools Dr. Marty Pollio and assistant superintendent Paige Hartstern. In September 2019, while serving as the principal of Hartstern Elementary School, Wright allegedly gestured with a gun in his office towards two second-graders who were removed from class for misbehaving, warning them that if they didn’t mend their ways, he would “feed them to the wolves.”
Although Wright claimed the gun was a toy, Pollio confirmed to the Kentucky Education Professional Standards Board that it was indeed a toy gun. Nevertheless, the school’s policy dictates that any object resembling a weapon, if used to intimidate, threaten, or harass, will be treated as a real weapon. As per the lawsuit, the incident with the gun unfolded when Wright appeared exasperated by the boys’ conduct.
Subsequently, as a punishment for disrupting the class, Wright compelled the boys to remain in his office throughout the day. The lawsuit highlighted that the situation escalated to the point where the gun was brought out due to Wright’s frustration with the boys’ actions.
According to the lawsuit, the boys believed the threat to their lives was real and cried after seeing the gun and hearing Wright’s alleged threat. The mother of one of the boys, who is the plaintiff in the lawsuit, stated that her son’s behavior “drastically changed” following the incident and he exhibited symptoms such as “frequent bedwetting, stomach aches, headaches, and uncharacteristic outbursts at home, which was atypical behavior.”
Both boys reported the incident to other teachers at the school, and Child Protective Services interviewed them both separately. One of the children also claimed that Wright had “spanked” him on another occasion. Their accounts were described in the lawsuit as “consistent and detailed.”
The lawsuit states that Wright pulled both boys out of class to discuss the CPS interviews. He denied the incident to CPS when he was interviewed by the agency.
Despite the boys’ accounts of events, no disciplinary action was taken against Wright in connection to the gun incident. The claims made by the students were declared “unsubstantiated” and “inconclusive.” Months later, in January 2020, Wright reportedly contacted the mother who filed the lawsuit and admitted to showing the boys a “toy gun” that he’d taken from another student. He also allegedly continued to “confront” her son at school for months.
The Kentucky Education Professional Standards Board stepped in to investigate after Jefferson County Schools dismissed the incident, but before evidence against Wright was to be presented, he cut a deal for a two-month suspension, ethics training, and probation.
This was not the first incident involving Wright, who was terminated from his position at Jefferson County Public Schools in March 2024. In 2022, he was sued by another parent for allegedly physically abusing a child. Wright was forced out of his position as principal of the elementary school, but instead of being terminated, he was transferred to a different part of the school system while maintaining a leadership position.
The mother of the boy he admitted to threatening worked in the same building where Wright was transferred. The lawsuit said that she was “shocked and terrified” to see Wright where she worked and felt “physically ill” in his presence. Much like he allegedly did with her son, Wright “frequently” asked her to “drop the case” against him. She eventually resigned from her position.
The lawsuit accused the school district and Wright of negligence, outrage, false imprisonment, and assault. Follio and Hartstern, according to the suit, “refus[ed] to take action to reprimand Wright and permitted him to remain in a position of power over the very students that he was abusing.” The plaintiffs are seeking punitive and compensatory damages.
Law&Crime reached out to Follio but did not receive a response.
