A 2-year-old's arms and mouth were bound with packaging tape by her day care teacher, according to a police report that WSOC obtained.
WSOC reporter Ken Lemon spoke to the child's mother who filed a police report on the incident at The Children of America Education and Childcare Centers in the University area.
The 2-year-old’s mother, who didn’t want to be identified, said that she found out about the incident three weeks ago when an employee walked by a classroom and saw the little girl in a corner with her hands bound by several pieces of tape and tape covering her mouth. The mother said the employee was so stunned she asked another employee to look into the class and witness the incident.
“You are not going to get away with torturing my child,” the mother said.
She said her child’s teacher had been at the day care for a few months and got upset.
“She said my daughter wouldn’t be still and listen to what she was saying,” the mother said.
The mother claims that’s when the teacher wrapped packing tape around her child’s wrists and over her mouth.
The mother said administrators told her what happened the next day and fired the teacher. But the mother said that’s not enough, and that the teacher should face charges.
Statement issued by The Mintz Fraade Law Firm, representing Children of America:
"This is in response to the recent inquiry pertaining to an incident at the Children of America childcare center in Charlotte. Please be advised that as a licensed child care provider in the State of North Carolina, Children of America must adhere to strict state mandated guidelines. Specifically, with regard to this recent incident with which you are inquiring about, Children of America took immediate, appropriate action as mandated and pursuant to Children of America's internal policies and procedures which included the termination of the employee. Children of America cannot comment any further on the incident because it is an ongoing investigation."
She waited three weeks for the day care to report the incident to police. She said when that didn’t happen, she called police.
The executive vice president for the school said that what happened is upsetting. He said teachers go through training and are told they can take a break any time the stress gets too high. He said administrators will also reinforce procedures for teachers.
The executive vice president added that the day care took swift and appropriate action and that the staff notified child services and state licensing agencies, which is the day care’s protocol.
[LINK: NC Division of Child Development and Early Education report]
WSOC checked the Division of Child Development records on the five-star facility and learned that three years ago, a 2-year child was left unsupervised for more than 30 minutes. The division discovered in 2015 that criminal records weren't complete for all staff members. The state also found that a 2-year-old child was picked up by the arms and dropped on the floor in 2015.
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