(Facebook.com – School Photo by Kevin Mathewson, Kenosha County Eye)
KENOSHA, Wis. — The Kenosha Unified School District has officially terminated Ryan Nachtigal, a math teacher at Indian Trail High School and Academy, following a history of public controversy and multiple internal investigations related to his classroom conduct.
KUSD Chief Communications Officer Tanya Ruder confirmed to Kenosha County Eye on Monday that “Mr. Nachtigal was terminated from KUSD on April 16, 2025.” Nachtigal had already been on leave since March 19, 2025, as first reported by KCE earlier this year.
Ruder did not specify whether the termination was directly tied to the earlier allegations investigated by the district, or whether new findings led to his dismissal. KUSD has so far declined to explain what prompted either the March suspension or the April firing, citing employee confidentiality laws.
Nachtigal’s conduct had been under scrutiny since at least 2023. In a November 2024 report, KCE revealed that the district allowed Nachtigal to remain in the classroom despite allegations that he had said “Heil Hitler” during a math lesson and later blew a kiss toward a student following a disciplinary conference. District officials acknowledged he was disciplined at the time but would not disclose the nature of the consequences.
In March 2025, KCE followed up with a second article confirming that Nachtigal was under investigation again. That inquiry, launched internally by KUSD, reportedly revisited concerns from the previous year and included newly raised issues. It was during this second wave of scrutiny that the district placed Nachtigal on leave effective March 19, 2025.
Nachtigal’s full personnel file, which may contain additional details about his disciplinary history and the findings of internal reviews, has been requested by Kenosha County Eye through Wisconsin’s public records law. Once obtained and reviewed, those records may provide more insight into the district’s decision-making and oversight processes.
Indian Trail High School, which serves approximately 2,000 students, has repeatedly come under public scrutiny in recent years for incidents involving staff misconduct and administrative inaction. While many parents, students, and faculty continue to support the school and its leadership, cases like Nachtigal’s have fueled ongoing concerns about transparency and accountability within the district.
The school district has consistently declined to speak publicly about individual employee matters, citing confidentiality protections. However, critics argue that this lack of communication contributes to public distrust and creates a perception that serious issues are being handled behind closed doors.
KUSD has not yet named a permanent replacement for Nachtigal’s position. The district’s staffing decisions are likely to face further scrutiny as it moves to close out the academic year.
Kenosha County Eye will continue to pursue records related to Nachtigal’s employment and report further updates as they become available.
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45 Responses
It is obvious this guy is MAGA.
Bahahha please he’s as left as they come.
“Lefties” didn’t vote for Hitler 2.0
Certainly acts the part. Most MAGA are in hiding now. Surprised this jerk is so open about it.
Nice try buddy. Nothing like turning your back on your own ppl.
Yep beads in beard is a dead giveaway……..
he hand me a fricking packet
What an ignorant statement – and you want to remain anonymous so no one will know how dumb you are.
KUSD scored another loser. Who the hell is in charge of hiring these people?
Right? They hire anyone. It’s disgusting.
I can’t wait until my granddaughter is out of KUSD! One more year! ITA is the worst! It used to be a great school when it first opened, but not anymore.
what has Kenosha got in the water !!!
Considering that Milwaukee dumps billions of gallons of RAW sewage into Lake Michigan after every heavy rainstorm….
The more you know….
The vast majority of KUSD teachers and staff are good people. However, every month a story is written about a staff member being dismissed for inappropriate behavior.
KUSD is having trouble filling seats and these reports are not helping. Westosha has 100 plus city of Kenosha kids. The private schools are experiencing increased enrollment.
The future is murky for KUSD.
No, it’s been this way from the start! I’m an alum from 2nd graduating class (2000) I can tell you even back then I had several “teachers” who were not actually teachers or even certified to teach. Hell, the origins of ITA are sketchy too. It was started by Constance Spenko… a grifter that moves from school district to school district and opens new schools. ITA was originally meant to be 3 phases and each phase was to have 3 “houses” (I was house of communication). The school was built like crap and was way overpriced for what taxpayers payed for it at that time. I could go on and on, but the 25 year history of incidents should speak volumes themselves.
most of the perverts just get shuffled to different positions at kusd, always been this way however, anything to do with “race” gets you terminated. kinda shows their lack of priorities. what a scummy school system
Speaking of shuffling, is he REALLY terminated or are they going to change it to RESIGNED later so he can shuffle off to uet another district and do the same thing? Get your kids out of KUSD!
HOMESCHOOL!
I appreciate Kevin shining a light on the parade of bad actors that are crossing whatever imaginary line exists in KUSD that exposes them to formal discipline.
The problem isn’t just what is being brought to light, it is seeing that most of these folks seem to have multiple serious offenses as part of their file before reaching this point. I can’t imagine how many exactly….although the citizens of Kenosha need to start to understand….that there are likely dozens, if not hundreds of offenses by KUSD staff each year that are hidden from the public by ESC Leadership and building Principals.
It is ridiculous that any Teacher has a thick Personnel file of misconduct. I taught for over a dozen years, and my thin little file contains my hiring paperwork, maybe some perfect attendance awards, and my resignation letter. As. It. Should. Be.
The KEA, and those they control on the School Board and ESC, are a scourge on our city and the children of Kenosha. I used to joke during my Teaching days that I would have to molest a child to get fired. I never really believed that, but it appears that in 2025, I was not far off the truth.
There are bad actors in every profession. However, the KUSD and KEA are not responsible for digging ditches, flipping burgers, drawing building plans, or making plumbing repairs. They are entrusted with educating and keeping our children safe. Teachers are not more important than any of those professions….despite what most of them think….and they certainly are not as important as parents….despite what many of them think. However, their proximity and control over your children should require a vastly higher standard of conduct….Appearance Guidelines, Language, Code of Conduct, Tolerance for bad acts, etc…than most professions. Instead, in Kenosha, the KEA and KUSD protect these people from consequence far beyond what would be allowed in any other profession. Think about that Kenosha….we are allowing a system where Teachers are allowed to commit multiple bad acts against your children….and not only aren’t they punished, but KUSD hides those acts from you and public scrutiny.
To Kevin’s great credit, he is doing solid work to track down what comes across his radar. However, he is constantly having to use the Wisconsin Open Records Law or file Lawsuits to get even basic information out of the ESC. Think about that. The School Board, Jeff Weiss, and the ESC literally HIDE wrongdoing toward your children until compelled to tell the truth by the force of law. There is ZERO Transparency. You never become informed about any of this in the Kenosha News, local radio, or area TV.
The KEA has always been a toxic Union that needs to be broken. The KEA, in my day, put out rag of a newsletter with our paychecks every two weeks. Not once in my dozen plus years of teaching did this newsletter contain a single article about improving student outcomes. It was all Democrat Party politics, agitation against the ESC if they dared require Teachers to spend an extra five minutes on Hall Duty or Parent/Teacher Conferences, and the rundown of KEA golf or bowling leagues and social picnics for the 1% of KEA members who had no life and participated in those things. The KEA’s main function was and is to serve as a roadblock to accountability from their members. You all need to understand…Teachers literally have almost no fear of serious consequence if they commit a bad act against your child. The KEA and those truly awful people they control on the School Board (looking at you Mary Modder, Rebecca Stevens, Carl Bryan, Todd Price, and Sabrina Landry) will support employees 99% of the time over your child.
This current article by Kevin shares yet another horrible member of the Indian Trail staff FINALLY getting what he deserved after years of ridiculous conduct. It seems like well over 50% of the incidents in KUSD Kevin exposes come out of Indian Trail. I seriously have no doubt, but wonder, if a similar culture of out of control staff exists at Tremper, Bradford, and other schools. Kevin wrote a recent article standing up for Indian Trail and its Principal, Scott Kennow. I don’t know Kennow and never worked with him. I would be curious to hear from Kevin why Indian Trail is the epicenter of these public humiliations for KUSD? Is it because Kevin has better sources within Indian Trail, are Tremper and Bradford principals running a tighter ship or looking the other way at bad acts, does Kennow lack institutional control, or is Kennow the one that is actually attacking the problem and forcing KUSD to do something?
The children of Kenosha deserve better. Taxpayers are paying for better than this.
The fix is a massive overhaul of KUSD. The KEA union needs to be broken or dismantled. The School Board members controlled by the KEA need to be removed and banned from the ESC building. Jeff Weiss and every single member of Senior Leadership at the ESC who support Weiss need to be fired. Many principals need to go as well. I know a few, and most of them have no business running a school.
There are people out there who could step in and right the ship if the deck was cleared of the aforementioned impediments to success. There are people who and were within KUSD who care about children and Kenosha who could fix this.
Last comment….I recently offered to substantially fund a campaign for School Board of a super high character and smart person who was an individual of some importance in the District in the not distant past. This person declined saying that the stranglehold of power held by the current KEA controlled School Board would render his/her inclusion to a minimal effect. A “Sisyphean Task” was the quote.
Really bummed me out.
Yes i know. They have abused my nonverbal daughter many times. It always gets covered up. Even when you have hard evidence. Kusd is a joke. Very sad for our children.
Take her out of KUSD. Homeschool. Contact HSLDA( homeschool legal defense association.).
In the previous article you mentioned Kevin answered some of those questions
Too long to read. Comment not blather.
Too long. Comment not blather.
I am sorry that you have the attention span of a toddler, G Force.
Had you been a student of mine, you would have gained a better appreciation for Reading and Analyzing.
Maybe check out a good Dr. Seuss book. That sounds like something closer to your Reading level that you could enjoy.
I’m slightly surprised that he knows the word blather…
I commend you for willing to support a candidate. And I understand their reluctance. I was at a social event about 2 years ago and heard a prior board member comment to a retired teacher on how difficult it was and unprofessional some board members tactics were. I was somewhat surprised, both people said, “no really, It’s bad”. I believe less than 30% of teaching staff are union members so how can they still have “power, influence? ” The district has lost too many qualified, knowledgeable board members. Reporting of teacher behavior needs to become state mandated. Bad apples can’t continue to be allowed to just move to other districts or e-school.
I don’t believe your 30% figure is accurate for the KEA in Kenosha. Virtually every single Teacher was a member when I was with KUSD.
What you need to know is this…..every single Teacher is required to pay full KEA Union Dues even if they choose not to join. Because the KEA is the approved “Bargaining Unit”, every Teacher has those Dues extracted from their paycheck whether they like it or not.
Those Dues are approaching $1000/year per Teacher is my current understanding.
You are incorrect. After ACT 10 in 2011, union membership dropped significantly all over Wisconsin. It is no longer required and hasn’t been for over 14 years and the union has to recertify every year. Catch up to speed so you can be correct.
Short version -ACT 10 restricted the power of most public unions to negotiate on issues beyond wages, limiting them to inflation-adjusted increases.
Long version – https://pbswisconsin.org/news-item/what-to-know-about-wisconsins-act-10-and-the-2024-court-battle-over-the-law/
Exact union membership in Kenosha is not publicly shared. I’d be interested to know those stats because I would guess less than 25% of teachers.
Not true! You can opt out ever since 2008.
The Teachers Union is simultaneously the most powerful and destructive political powerhouse within each state and countrywide. Crap like this is routinely buried and hidden to protect everyone but the victimized children. He will just move to a different state and continue wreaking havoc as he’s most likely done his entire career.
Not defending this behavior but do want to comment on your teacher union comment. WI does not have a state teachers union. Walker got rid of that
You are incorrect. After ACT 10 in 2011, union membership dropped significantly all over Wisconsin. It is no longer required and hasn’t been for over 14 years and the union has to recertify every year. Catch up to speed so you can be correct.
Short version -ACT 10 restricted the power of most public unions to negotiate on issues beyond wages, limiting them to inflation-adjusted increases.
Long version – https://pbswisconsin.org/news-item/what-to-know-about-wisconsins-act-10-and-the-2024-court-battle-over-the-law/
Exact union membership in Kenosha is not publicly shared. I’d be interested to know those stats because I would guess less than 25% of teachers.
FINALLY!!!!!!! Thank you soooo much for writing about this and doing the research!!!!
Transparency is needed or this type of perversion will continue
In general the school has been a joke. It originally was built with a daycare and treated as a boarding school for pregnant teenagers from county schools. Not to mention the continuous bullying that the school does absolutely nothing about.
huh? Are you talking about Reuther because you are very incorrect.
Indian Trail did have the infant lab and PACE program as I attended the school. They discontinued it.
This schools administration sucks! as someone who goes to this school, we have a security guard who flirts with students, multiple teachers who don’t actually teach, they give assignments and do nothing, we have teachers who say absurd things like “I wish I had a gate that chopper all my students up”, or “your a walking lipid” (walking fat for those who don’t know). Or other things like holding a steak knife in class and saying “I’m not afraid to use it”… all those comments have been reported, and no action has been taken by the administration… we have kids vaping and doing weed all day, about 80% of the kids in our school do. Security guards who walk in and ask for a hit of the vape… they let bigger problems roll off their shoulder, but take action on the small things…I could go on and on, but this schools administration isn’t doing enough! It’s a waste of tax money, and gives students an un-enjoyable 4 years at this school.
I was there for 2 months before I couldn’t handle it. The teachers were borderline abusive, one threatened to take some sort of legal action against me because I took a picture of a notes slide. She said it was copyright by someone else and I was going to be arrested just for taking the picture. Administration did nothing. She constantly told our class we were lazy and that none of us would graduate because of it.
Then the comm teachers constantly made fun of spec ed kids, mocking them and saying if they had their way, “those kids wouldn’t be in the school at all.” No one cared. Freshmen bringing weed into class and nothing being done about it.
Out of all the staff I met there, only two of them seemed like decent people. But they also seemed too shy or scared to do anything about the rest.
The whole school is a joke. I dropped out and did an online charter for the rest of my high school time
Mary Modder’s husband is a commie. She is one too. How about Joel Truedell as a replacement for this pervert ? This psycho is currently a math teacher at Bullen. KUSD is a hot mess. Home school if at all possible.
Joel should NEVER be around kids. He supports teaching them to hate the police.
Did you see the video of the cops dragging this moron out of a County Board meeting ?
He stopped teaching at Bullen last year. He was horrible. He said the n word in the first class of the day by trying to say integer and it came out INTINI****. He got me in trouble for saying a ”racial slur” when all I said was “yapeneese”. And all this stuff isn’t even the tip of the iceberg. He was an absolute JOKE OF A REPLACEMENT TEACHER!!!!!
Until the school board listens to parents and puts a focus on improving education; students who can, will continue to transfer out. Westosha provides a shuttle. In addition, Kenosha has seen increased presence of private schools. Again, pulling students from the district. Those moves equate to decreased funding to KUSD.
KUSD doesn’t want ICE around but the get to hire someone like Ryan Nachtigal.