The parents of a 4-year-old in Fort Worth have sued Arka Montessori Academy after surveillance footage allegedly showed a substitute teacher grabbing and shaking their son while encouraging another child to attack him. The incident reportedly occurred on April 27 and left the boy with bruises and scratches. The family says he now suffers ongoing anxiety and fear; a state probe found more than a dozen deficiencies at the daycare, including three tied to this event.
Fort Worth Parents Sue Daycare After Surveillance Video Appears to Show Teacher Encouraging Attack
Russell Button
The parents of a 4-year-old boy in Fort Worth, Texas, have filed a lawsuit against Arka Montessori Academy after surveillance footage reportedly shows a teacher physically grabbing and shaking their son while prompting another child to strike him.
What Happened
According to the family’s attorney, Russell Button, the incident occurred on April 27. Button shared excerpts of the daycare’s surveillance video with NBC5. The footage, he says, begins after a supervising teacher stepped away for a restroom break and another teacher — identified by the family as the mother of the child who allegedly struck the Harris boy — assumed supervision.
In the clips provided to NBC5, the substitute teacher is seen seizing the Harris child, shaking him and shouting in his face. She then appears to shove him back. The other child runs at the Harris boy and, after that impact, the teacher is again seen grabbing and pushing the child. The video ends with the teacher pulling the struggling boy’s leg out from under him, causing him to fall hard to the floor.
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Aftermath
The boy returned home with bruises and scratches on his arm; his parents say those injuries prompted them to investigate and to withdraw him immediately from Arka Montessori Academy. In the lawsuit, Heather and Richard Harris allege the episode produced lasting emotional harm. Button told reporters the child has become more anxious, is afraid to be left alone, seeks constant reassurance from his parents and remains sensitive to loud noises and raised voices.
Transitioning to a new daycare was also difficult: the family says the boy froze at the classroom entrance, clinging to his parents while crying out of fear another incident might occur.
Regulatory Findings
NBC5 reports a state investigation later identified more than a dozen deficiencies at the facility, three of which were tied directly to this incident. The lawsuit remains pending, and details about any employment actions taken by the daycare have not been disclosed publicly.
Note: This account is based on the family’s assertions and footage shared with local media; the case’s outcome will be determined through the legal process.
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