Madison police are investigating after a mother said a staff member at Madison East High School served her 15-year-old autistic son a can of dog food for lunch, an allegation the school district says has triggered an internal review and staff discipline.
The report has drawn outrage because the teen is nonverbal and relies on adults at school to help meet basic needs, leaving his family to piece together what happened from photos and staff calls. Police listed the case as child abuse and assigned it to detectives who handle sensitive crimes. The Madison Metropolitan School District has said it has “zero tolerance” for conduct that puts students at risk but has released few details, citing privacy rules. Community advocates and a state lawmaker have called for wider oversight as investigators work to confirm who handled the food, why it was in the building, and how the situation was reported to the family.
Debra Hawkes said her son, Jaden Hawkes, is a freshman in Madison East’s special education program and cannot tell her what happened. She said the incident occurred Feb. 13, but she was not told until days later, after she noticed a change in his mood and appetite. Hawkes said a staff member later sent her a photo showing an opened can of wet dog food, with some of the food gone, and told her Jaden had eaten part of it. “He looked like he ate a little bit of something, at least three, four or five bites,” Hawkes said. She said school staff also called to confirm that someone gave her son the dog food as his lunch that day. Hawkes said she went to the school repeatedly seeking answers and left feeling that the explanation did not match what her family saw.
Police confirmed the investigation in an incident report dated Feb. 24, when the case was reported to the department. The report said the parents contacted police around 9 a.m. and that detectives in the Special Victims Unit were leading the work. The department said it was coordinating with the Madison Metropolitan School District, which was conducting its own review. The incident report listed the case type as child abuse and gave a case number, but it did not identify the student or the employee involved. District officials also have not released the employee’s name. In statements provided to local news outlets, the district said the staff member accused of giving the dog food had been placed on leave while the district followed due process. Hawkes, however, said school staff later told her the person responsible had been fired, a detail the district has not publicly confirmed.
In interviews, Hawkes said she does not believe the situation could have been an accident, pointing to the fact that the meal was served in a school setting where lunches are normally planned and packaged. She also said she worried about the metal can itself. “You give an autistic child a can? That he could cut himself with,” Hawkes said, arguing that the risk went beyond what was in the can to the sharp edges and the way her son might handle it. Another teacher later found the opened can in a time-out room used by Jaden and raised concerns, Hawkes said, prompting the photo that was shared with her. She said the delay in notification left her trying to understand why her son came home acting differently while she had no clear account of what happened at school.
District officials have not described why dog food would be on campus, whether it was brought in by an employee, or whether it was connected to a classroom activity. They also have not said whether the student was supervised when he received the can or whether other staff saw what happened. In a written statement, the district said it takes “student safety and well-being seriously,” and said it has “zero tolerance for actions that compromise student safety and well-being.” The district said staff procedures and protocols were being reviewed and that additional training tied to snack protocol would be provided. Edell Fiedler, a district spokesperson, told one outlet the district could not share more because of student and employee privacy laws. That has left the family and advocates pressing for basic facts, including who made the decision to serve the can and what steps, if any, were taken immediately after staff realized what had happened.
The allegation has also sparked public demands for outside review. At a gathering with Hawkes, community advocates questioned how a can labeled as dog food ended up in a school lunch setting and why the family says it took days to learn of the incident. Andrea Shorter Amos, the head of the nonprofit Creating a Village, called the report unacceptable and said families of students with disabilities deserve clear answers. State Rep. Sheila Stubbs, a Democrat whose district includes parts of Madison, said she was seeking an investigation by Wisconsin’s Department of Public Instruction. Parents Debra Hawkes and Gaston Bradley said they have kept their son close since learning what happened and said they are still waiting for a full explanation from school leaders and investigators.
For now, authorities have described the case as open and active. Police have not announced any arrests or charges, and they have not said what evidence, beyond the reported photo and staff accounts, is being reviewed. The school district has not said when its internal review will be completed or whether it will release a summary of findings. As investigators continue interviews and collect records, the central questions remain the same: who served the dog food, why it was available at school, and whether safeguards for a nonverbal special education student were followed.
Author note: Last updated February 28, 2026.