FAYETTEVILLE : 2 accused of setting up church day-care fights
Posted on Tuesday, August 26, 2008
URL: http://www.nwanews.com/adg/News/235429/
FAYETTEVILLE — Two teachers lost their jobs at the Central United Methodist Church day care after state and local officials started investigating reports that preschoolers were being made to fight.
Fayetteville police Sgt. John Warren said the investigation was launched Thursday after a parent reported teachers forcing 3- and 4-year-old students to fight during “circle time.”
The kids had to fight while the rest of the class watched, and the teachers told them not to tell their parents, Warren said.
“Some parents said their children were bruised during the fights, and we’re in the process of setting up interviews with at least some of the 18 kids [in the class ]” he said. “It’s going to take a while to sort it all out.”
The teachers could face charges of endangering the welfare of minors if the allegations are true, Warren said.
Officials declined to release the teachers’ names.
Julie Munsell, spokesman for the state Department of Human Services, said the fighting is said to have involved punching, kicking and pushing as part of “a game,” and that the department is investigating under terms of the church’s child-care license.
“The [church ] has already taken corrective action by terminating the teachers, but we’ll need to determine whether management knew about the alleged activity or whether it was isolated to the staff,” Munsell said.
Church administrator Brian Swain said the two teachers were “no longer employed” as of Friday and that the church is reaching out to families to help in any way it can.
“We’re communicating with parents and trying very hard to earn their trust back,” Swain said. “No one wants to sweep anything under the rug, for sure. We feel like we’ve resolved the main problem, but we’ll continue to reach out to parents and provide them any help or counseling or whatever they need.”
He said church officials don’t know why the teachers, who worked with students who attended the center every day, may have acted the way they did.
“That’s the big question,” he said. “The kids told one story, while the teachers told another, but ultimately the investigation will have to determine that.”
The church’s day-care center has been in operation for 30 years, he said. Last week, the center moved to a new facility next to the church, but the investigation put a blemish on the move, he said.
The church in looking at other measures, such as more training for teachers and installing cameras in the classrooms.
Munsell said if the teachers want to work in child care in Arkansas again, they’ll have to comply with corrective action decided on by the Human Services Department.