Keisha Stuart Pleads Not Guilty as Hortonville District Confirms She Taught Special Education There to 2025

Former Wisconsin teacher Keisha Stuart has pleaded not guilty to three felony counts, including child sexual assault, involving a boy of 14. In May, the Hortonville Area School District confirmed she taught special education there from 2023 to 2025. It said no claims relate to that job. Each role placed her with pupils who needed support.

Stuart, 32, entered her pleas at a hearing in Winnebago County court on Tuesday 20 October. If found guilty, she could receive a maximum combined sentence of 47 years, including extended supervision. Her next date is a plea hearing on 10 December, where she can change her plea. The court has not set a trial date.

How the Case Against Keisha Stuart Began

Stuart taught at Fundamentals School, a private school in Grand Chute outside the Menasha district. The school's owner found a letter Stuart had written to the boy, called it 'weird', and phoned police, according to the criminal complaint. Winnebago County prosecutors then charged her with second-degree sexual assault of a child, exposing a child to harmful material, and sexual misconduct by school staff. A timeline below sets out each step.

Menasha police spoke to the boy on 16 May and arrested Stuart at home that day. She declined to talk to police. The court set bail at $40,000 (£30,065) and barred her from contacting the boy or going near his home. Court records also bar her from any job with children. On 23 July, a judge ruled the evidence was sufficient for the case to proceed, which is not a guilty finding.

What Hortonville Says About Her Earlier Job

After leaving Hortonville, she taught at Fundamentals, the local private school the boy attended. She still worked there when police arrested her in May. The district's statement, published in May, gives no more detail about her time there or why she left in 2025. On its Facebook page, Fundamentals describes its work as helping youth with 'emotional, behavioural or mental health challenges' across school, home and community life.

Wisconsin treats the main charge, second-degree sexual assault of a child under 16, as a Class C felony. The top term is 40 years: up to 25 in prison, then up to 15 under extended supervision. Each of the other two charges has a 42-month limit. A conviction on the main charge would usually also put her on the sex offender register for life. None of those penalties applies without a conviction.

What Happens Next in the Stuart Case

In June, her first lawyer declined the case, citing a conflict, and asked the court for another hearing. No comment from her lawyers has appeared in any published report since her arrest in May. Menasha police Lieutenant Peter Sawyer has said the department is committed to protecting children, and that his officers will keep working with other agencies to look into suspected exploitation of children.

News reports have not named the boy, and Fundamentals School has said nothing in any of them. Stuart remains presumed innocent, and no jury has tested the allegations against her. Published reports also do not say whether either school has told pupils' families about the charges.