Two women working at a Roswell preschool were charged with cruelty to children after parents said they saw them abusing kids on a live video, police said.

Parents with children at the Parker-Chase preschool said they saw the women stand on a child’s hand, knee a child in the back and push a child’s forehead, according to Channel 2 Action News, which first reported the incident.

The parents called Roswell police, and detectives watched the video of the classroom.

Police arrested and charged Zeina Alostwani, 40, and Soriana Briceno, 19, with cruelty to children in the first degree. They appeared in court Tuesday.

Endeavor Schools, the parent company of Parker-Chase, said in a written statement that the employees used “inappropriate disciplinary actions.” Once the school learned of the actions, it removed the employees from the classroom and later fired them. The company reported the incident to its licensing agency and the state’s Department of Child Protective Services.

“While we are extremely grateful that the children are well, we take this matter seriously, and our investigation is ongoing. We expect our staff to adhere to the highest standards of care, and any failure to do so will not be tolerated,” Endeavor Schools stated.

Roswell police are reviewing video from the school to check for other possible instances of alleged abuse. A police spokesman said the department had no additional updates Tuesday afternoon.

About the Author

Keep Reading

Katrina Roman (left) tells her students whether they are "calor" (warm) or "frio" (cold) during Spanish class at the DeKalb Christian Home Educators co-op in Stone Mountain, while school director Coretta Ponder observes on March 26, 2025. (Miguel Martinez/AJC)

Credit: Miguel Martinez-Jimenez

Featured

U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff speaks during a town hall at the Cobb County Civic Center on April 25 in Atlanta. Ossoff said Wednesday he is investigating corporate landlords and out-of-state companies buying up single-family homes in bulk. (Jason Allen for the AJC)

Credit: Jason Allen/AJC