Daycare is supposed to be a place where toddlers learn, play, make friends, and maybe argue over who gets the blue crayon.
Apparently, one Fort Worth family says their child got a very different lesson.
The family is suing Fort Worth daycare for $1 million after surveillance footage allegedly showed a staff member encouraging or mishandling a physical altercation involving their 4-year-old son.
Yes, “toddler fight club” sounds like a ridiculous movie title. Unfortunately, the family says this was real life.
According to reports, the boy’s mother became concerned after noticing changes in her son’s behavior. Rather than ignore the situation, she reportedly made an unannounced visit to the daycare and asked to review the security footage.
That decision allegedly uncovered something much more disturbing.
According to the family’s attorney, the footage shows a child of a former employee getting into a physical altercation with the 4-year-old. The attorney alleges that a staff member became involved but did so in a way that left the boy on the ground.
And suddenly, nobody is laughing at the phrase “toddler fight club.”
Heather and Richard Harris claim Arka Montessori Academy of Risinger in Fort Worth failed to protect their son, identified in court papers as UH, during the April 27 incident in which teacher Chynia Johnson allegedly grabbed, shook and dragged him before causing him to crash onto a hardwood floor.
The parents allege Johnson, whose son had been fighting with UH, repeatedly manhandled the 4-year-old and tried to force the children back into a confrontation while another teacher stood by and failed to intervene.
“This place looked like a child fight club. It felt like one,” family attorney Russell Button told WFAA-TV.
“This kid was thrown around like a human rag doll by somebody that was supposed to protect him.”
Kids will obviously fight. That is practically part of the toddler starter pack. One minute they are playing together, the next minute someone has stolen someone else’s toy and World War III has begun.
That is why adults are supposed to be there. They are supposed to stop the chaos, not allegedly make it worse.
Video footage cited in the Sept. 4 lawsuit filed in Tarrant County district court allegedly shows Johnson grabbing and shaking UH, shoving him away and later dragging him toward her son as the boy struggled to escape.
The suit alleges Johnson then swiped at UH’s leg while holding his wrist, causing both of his feet to leave the ground before he crashed onto the floor.
UH suffered bruises and scratches to his arms, headaches and pain to his backside, according to the complaint. His parents also claim he has since become anxious, clingy and prone to emotional outbursts, and ultimately stopped attending daycare.
Heather Harris told WFAA-TV that when she arrived at the daycare that day, she immediately sensed something was wrong.
“I knew from his cry and the look on his face that something had happened, and from that point on I said, ‘I need to see the cameras,’” she said.
Richard Harris told the station he was “mortified” after seeing the footage.
“The trust that I put in this daycare, they failed us,” he said.
The lawsuit now puts the spotlight back on what allegedly happened inside the facility and whether proper supervision was provided.
For the family, this is clearly bigger than a playground argument.
Their son is only 4 years old. He should be worrying about cartoons, snacks, naps, and whether someone touched his favorite toy.
He should not be coming home with behavior changes that make his parents wonder what happened while he was away.
