Principal pulls gun on 2nd-graders, KY lawsuit says. ‘Going to feed you to the wolves’
.png "The former principal of Hartstern Elementary School is accused of pulling a gun on two 7-year-olds and threatening to kill them in a newly filed lawsuit.")
A Kentucky woman is suing her son’s former principal and school district after she says the principal pulled a gun on her son and another student and threatened to kill them.
The 7-year-old boy was a second-grade student at Hartstern Elementary School in Louisville, which is part of Jefferson County Public Schools, in 2019, according to a civil complaint filed Jan. 7.
McClatchy News reached out to Jefferson County Public Schools for comment but did not immediately hear back.
On Sept. 26, 2019, the boy and another 7-year-old classmate were sent to the principal’s office for disrupting class, the lawsuit said.
Duan Wright, who was principal at the time, took the boys to his office, where he made them stay the whole day as punishment, according to the complaint.
While in his office, Wright became frustrated with the boys, so he opened his desk drawer and pulled out a gun, the lawsuit said.
Wright slammed the gun on the desk and threatened to kill the boys, saying, “if you don’t get it together, I’m going to feed you to the wolves,” according to the lawsuit.
The boy immediately became scared and believed Wright would kill him, the complaint said.
“Both boys began to cry after seeing the gun and hearing Wright’s threat,” the lawsuit said.
After that day, the boy began wetting the bed, having stomach aches and headaches and outbursts at home, according to the complaint.
This was not the first time Wright was accused of improper conduct with students, the lawsuit said.
When interviewed by child protective services, the boy told them Wright had spanked him on a previous occasion, the lawsuit said.
Between 2009 and 2019, Wright was also accused of punching and grabbing students, dragging students by their clothes and bodies, threatening students with violence, carrying kids over his shoulder and threatening and assaulting teachers and staff, according to the lawsuit.
Wright initially denied pulling a gun on the students, but later told the boy’s mom during a phone call that he threatened the boy with a toy gun, the lawsuit said.
Attorney information for Wright was not immediately available.
Jefferson County Public Schools prohibits weapons or “look-alike weapons” on school grounds, the lawsuit says. Anyone in violation of the policy was to be reported to law enforcement and face disciplinary action.
However, Wright was not disciplined or terminated after the incident and “continued to confront (the boy) at school during the weeks and months that followed,” the lawsuit said.
In 2022, after more reports of abuse, Wright stepped down from his role as principal, the lawsuit said. He was transferred to work at an administrative building as a principal of academic achievement, which the lawsuit said was a promotion.
In September 2023, Wright agreed to a two-month suspension of his license and was placed on probation. Then, in March 2024, Wright was terminated after another lawsuit accused him of victimizing a student.
The lawsuit is asking for an undetermined amount in damages.
This story was originally published January 9, 2025 at 2:24 PM with the headline "Principal pulls gun on 2nd-graders, KY lawsuit says. ‘Going to feed you to the wolves’."
