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On November 22, 2023, the Office of Childhood (OOC) received an allegation that on November 21, 2023, Ms. Haar put her arm around Child A's (7-years-old) neck because he was marching too fast. Child A's brother Child B (10-years-old) observed the incident and felt like Child A was being choked by Ms. Haar. After conducting an investigation, Compliance Inspector (CI) Ian Fyfe has found this allegation to be substantiated based on the following evidence:
5 CSR 25-500.182(1)(C)3., which stats that: "Only constructive, age-appropriate methods of discipline shall be used to help children develop self-control and assume responsibility for their own actions."
AND
5 CSR 25-500.182(1)(C)7., which states that: "Physical punishment including, but not limited to, spanking, slapping, shaking, biting, or pulling hair shall be prohibited."
On November 30, 2023, Compliance Inspector (CI) Ian Fyfe conducted an unannounced inspection to the YMCA - South County Branch - St Catherine of Laboure and interviewed Susie Koch, Child A, and Child B. Child A and Child B both provided consistent information regarding the reported concerns. On the day of the reported concerns, Child A was playing with balloons when Ms. Mennette [Haar] told him to stop. After Child A did not stop, Ms. Mennette told Child A to march around the room four times. Child A only marched around the room two times when Ms. Mennette came up behind Child A, wrapped her arm around his neck, and choked him. Child B was drawing at a table when he heard someone making choking noises. When he looked up, he saw Ms. Mennette with her arm around Child A's neck. He told Ms. Mennette to stop choking him. Ms. Mennette said that she was not choking him. Neither child has seen Ms. Mennette put her hands on a child before.
On November 30, 2023, CI Fyfe interviewed Parent A (parent of Child A and Child B) via phone call. She first heard about the reported concerns from Child A and Child B. The children told her that Child A got in trouble for acting inappropriately with balloons and that Ms. Mennette [Haar] made him march around the room thirty times. When Child A started running while doing the laps, Ms. Mennette stopped Child A by wrapping her arm around his neck. She choked Child A when she did this.
On December 5, 2023, CI Fyfe interviewed Parent B (parent of Child A and Child B) via phone call. Parent B is the parent that picked up Child A and Child B from the facility on November 21, 2023. After picking the children up, he asked them how their day was. Child B told him that Ms. Mennette [Haar] choked Child A. Child B said that he was drawing at one of the tables when he heard another child choking. When Child B looked, he saw Ms. Mennette choking Child A. When Child B told her to stop, Ms. Mennette told Child B that her arm wasn't near Child A's neck and that it was on his chest. Child B was certain that her arm was around Child A's neck.
On December 12, 2023, CI Fyfe interviewed Director Juliana Dammrich via phone call. Ms. Dammrich denied the reported concerns. On November 21, 2023, Parent B emailed her and told her about the reported concerns. Ms. Mennette denied the reported concerns to her. Ms. Mennette is going to be relocated to a different YMCA program location due to ongoing issues between her and the family of concern.
On December 19, 2023, CI Fyfe interviewed Parent C (parent of Child C) via phone call. On November 26, 2023, Parent B approached her and told her that Child C may have seen the reported concerns happen. When she asked Child C if he saw anything happen between Ms. Mennette [Haar] and Child A, Child C told her that he saw Ms. Mennette wrap her arm around Child A's neck to stop him or slow him down when he was marching around.
On December 19, 2023, CI Fyfe interviewed staff member Linda Ross via phone call. Ms. Ross is Ms. Mennette's co-teacher at the facility. Ms. Ross did not observe the reported concerns as she had her back turned to the situation when it would have occurred. She did talk to other children at the facility to see if they saw what happened. The children that she talked to said that Ms. Mennette stuck her arm out to stop the other children from running. Overall, she has no concerns regarding Ms. Mennette.
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