A parent is suing a Dallas-based daycare center for alleged inappropriate disciplinary actions against her child and others in the daycare, as well as violations of multiple safety laws.
The incident that spurred the suit occurred at Eastridge Academy during a painting activity in August 2022 when a daycare worker allegedly pushed the 6-year-old girl out of her chair, resulting in her falling to the ground and injuring her head.
“Following the incident, East Ridge Academy chose not to immediately contact [the girl’s] mother, emergency services, or the state of Texas to report the injuries and incident. [She] was left in pain for the remainder of the day, until her mother, April Wallace, arrived to pick her up from daycare,” the suit claims.
Wallace further alleged that the daycare center violated the minimum standards for child care outlined by the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services by maintaining the employment of an unqualified daycare worker who hit, humiliated, used abusive language toward, and employed corporal punishment on children.
She is seeking more than $1 million in damages.
“The safety and protection of children at any daycare should be the upmost [sic] priority. Eastridge Academy failed this young girl, and the abuse she experienced is deeply troubling,” said Wallace’s attorney, Russell Button, according to a news release.
According to the lawsuit, in addition to pushing Wallace’s daughter out of her chair, an employee allegedly compelled the whole class at one point to do push-ups as a form of collective punishment.
The suit further disclosed that Eastridge Academy had received 10 citations in the three years leading up to the incident for failing to maintain a safe environment for children. These infractions ranged from neglecting to qualify, train, and supervise employees to inadequately caring for children.
Speaking with The Dallas Morning News, Button said the employee in question also withheld snack time as punishment. He noted that Wallace’s daughter has had “significant psychological problems” since her time at the daycare.
“We just want to make sure this doesn’t happen to other kids,” Button said.
Eastridge Academy is not the only place in North Texas to draw media and legal attention over how its employees treat kids in recent months.
As previously reported by The Dallas Express, a former substitute teacher at Mesquite ISD was fired after it was discovered she was encouraging and facilitating a student “fight club” at a middle school, which resulted in students engaging in timed fights that left some bloodied.
Tragically, Dallas County clocked the second-most child maltreatment fatalities in 2021, with the Department of Family and Protective Services counting 18 deaths.