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Compliance Inspector (CI) Heather Radney conducted an investigation of the allegation that Caregiver Brenda Cornell was observed by other workers smacking a kid four times and Neena was contacted and Neena told them to shred the incident report. The allegation is substantiated based on the following information:
5 CSR 25-500.182(1)(C)2 which states: Expectations for a child's behavior shall be appropriate for the developmental level of that child.
5 CSR 25-500.182(1)(C)7 which states: Physical punishment including, but not limited to, spanking, slapping, shaking, biting, or pulling hair shall be prohibited.
On May 2, 2023, CI Radney conducted an interview with Caregiver Desirae Lansdown. Desirae stated that she heard a child yelling, so she opened the door and saw Brenda picking up Child A using both hands under both of Child A's arms, then let go of Child A's left arm and use her left hand to smack Child A on the left side of her face. Brenda saw her and put Child A back on the ground, and Child A laid on the floor screaming. Brenda said "She just won't stop crying." Desirae stated she picked Child A up and left the room, where she took a picture of Child A's face and called Stephanie Edwards and asked what to do. Acting Director Stephanie Edwards reported that Desirae called her at 4:54 p.m. and said she just saw Brenda smack Child A in the face. She told Desirae to remove Child A from the classroom. She personally went into the classroom and sent Brenda home between 5:00 p.m. and 5:20 p.m. that day.
On May 17, 2023, CI Radney conducted an interview with Caregiver Brenda Correll. Brenda denied the allegation that she smacked Child A. She stated she is no longer employed by Alpha Tots Learning Center II and was fired by Stephanie Edwards after being falsely accused. Brenda stated "I never hit the girl" and said Child A was on the floor "crying as usual", she picked Child A up, changed her diaper and held her and helped her to calm down.
On May 22, 2023, CI Radney conducted an interview with Parent A (Child A's mother). She reported that she arrived at the center and Desirae had Child A. Child A's eyes were puffy but she wasn't crying. Desirae told her that she had seen Child A be slapped by Brenda. Stephanie came into the lobby and told her they were firing Brenda. The red mark on Child A's face turned into a bruise. Her eyebrow did swell and have some bruising, and her cheek that was red at pick up did swell, became bumpy and bruised to a blue color. CI Radney conducted an interview with Neena Gill. She reported they fired Brenda on April 25, 2023, because they were unsure of the care that she was giving the children. She said Stephanie called her and told her that somebody said they saw Brenda smack a child on the mouth and she told Stephanie "We can't have that" and fired her. Neena stated "There has been so much craziness that she can't possibly remember the details of every issue with every staff." Neena reported that she was not aware of the incident with Brenda grabbing a child's arm too roughly, or swatting a child's hand and bottom on the changing table. Neena stated she does not think that Brenda had any previous write ups or incidents.
On April 25, 2023, CI Radney received and reviewed an email containing a photo of Child A. Child A was being held by an adult, her eyelashes were wet and she has a red cheek and localized redness near her ear.
On April 27, 2023, CI Radney received and reviewed a "Statement" regarding another incident involving Caregiver Brenda Cornell being aggressive with Child C. The statement is signed by Neena Gill on 3/23/23 and Stephanie Edwards and Brenda Cornell. The statement reads "Due to an incident that occurred on March 22, 2023, a hotline call was made. The incident involved Mrs. Brenda grabbing a child by the arm in a harsh manner, leaving a slight red mark. The incident was witnessed by another staff member in the classroom. After reviewing the hotline call and the details given by the other staff member, we are issuing a formal written warning. This behavior shall not be tolerated in this center or any other under the name of Alpha Tots. Please take this notice as a final warning, any other situations that occur will result in automatic termination."
Based on the information provided and interviews with parents and caregivers, Brenda Correll did not have appropriate expectations for a child's behavior and was not alert to Child A's needs when she slapped Child A in the face, leaving a red mark that turned into a bruise.
5 CSR 25-500.102(1)(A) which states Child care personnel shall be of good character and intent and shall be qualified to provide care conducive to the welfare of children.
Based on the information provided and interviews with caregivers, care conducive to the welfare of children was not being provided when Neena Gill instructed caregivers to shred incident reports unless a mark was left on a child. Caregiver Susanna Parker reported being told "through the grapevine" from Neena through Stephanie to shred the incident report regarding seeing Brenda smack Child B's hand and butt. Additionally, Susanna reported that when Stephanie left the interview before her, Stephanie told her what she (Stephanie) had said to the Office of Childhood during the interview so that she could match Stephanie's story. Caregiver Marlana Henson reported there was another report that needed to be written up about Brenda and Susanna witnessed it but was told to shred the incident report. Caregiver Desirae Lansdown reported that Stephanie had talked to Neena on her way back to the daycare and Neena told her "If there's not a mark don't worry about it" because they are already under investigation.
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