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On March 07, 2024, the Office of Childhood (OOC) received an allegation that on March 5, 2024, staff member Travis Ruff pulled Child A (age 3-years-old) from underneath the desk by his foot, then grabbed Child A by the arm and lifted the child in the air causing the child to wet himself. After conducting an investigation, Compliance Inspector (CI) Jade Stewart-Martin has found this allegation to be substantiated based on the following evidence:
5 CSR 25-500.182(1)(C)8. - No discipline technique which is humiliating, threatening, or frightening to children shall be used. Children shall not be shamed, ridiculed, or spoken to harshly, abusively, or with profanity.
AND
5 CSR 25-500.182(1)(C)3. - 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. - Physical punishment including, but not limited to, spanking, slapping, shaking, biting, or pulling hair shall be prohibited.
AND
5 CSR 25-500.182(1)(C)5., which states: "Brief, supervised separation from the group may be used based on a guideline of one (1) minute of separation for each year of the child's age."
On March 8, 2024, CI Stewart-Martin conducted an unannounced inspection and interviewed Parent A (parent of Child A and Director of the facility), Parent AA (parent of Child A and Board Chair of the facility), and teacher Addison Cates. CI Stewart-Martin also interviewed Child A, Child B (age 3-years-old), and Child C (age 3-years-old). Travis Ruff was the 3-year-old teacher and had been employed at the facility for over two years. On March 5, 2024, Travis Ruff grabbed Child A from underneath a desk by his foot, he then proceeded to grab Child A by the arm and lifted him in the air causing him to soil himself. On this date Addison Cates and Brooke Headley were in the classroom with Travis Ruff and Child A. Ms. Cates observed the incident, and she stated that Travis Ruff aggressively grabbed Child A from above the elbow but underneath the shoulder. He then proceeded to aggressively sit him down in the chair. After this, he bent over from behind the chair and grabbed his shoulders, restricting his arms from moving. Child A would not stop crying which caused Travis Ruff to move Child A and put his face up against the wall. Ms. Cates is unaware of exactly how long Child A was placed in time out, but she is sure that it was longer than three minutes. Parent A and Parent AA were unaware of the incident until March 6, 2024. Brooke Headley also provides care for Child A at his home. On March 6, 2024, she told Parent A and Parent AA what had occurred with Travis Ruff and Child A on March 5, 2024. This prompted Parent AA to review the video footage from the facility. The video footage shows Travis Ruff grabbing Child A and carrying him to the chair by the arm and grabbing his shoulders. The video footage does not show Travis Ruff making Child A stand in time out, but Parent A and Parent AA were told this from the teachers in the room. Travis Ruff's last day at the center was March 5, 2024. He never showed up on March 6, 2024, and he was officially terminated as of March 8, 2024. Child A stated that Travis Ruff is mean to him and puts him in the corner for time out. Child A stated that Travis Ruff had hurt him, but was unable to explain what had happened.
On March 8, 2024, CI Stewart Martin observed the video footage provided by Parent AA (parent of Child A and Board Chair of the facility), from the 3-year-old classroom on March 5, 2024, taking place from 4:03 P.M. to 4:05 P.M. In this video Travis Ruff is in a black shirt and blue jeans. Addison Cates is sitting down at a table in a yellow shirt. Brooke Headley is sitting down at the table closest to the door wearing a grey long-sleeved shirt. Child A is wearing grey pants and a dark colored shirt. At approximately 4:03:45 P.M. Travis Ruff dragged Child A by his leg from under the table. Travis Ruff then proceeds to grab Child A by his left arm in an aggressive manner and stand him up on his feet and walks him to a chair. During this time Child A's feet go out from underneath him, and he is being held in the air with his feet kicking. After aggressively putting him into the chair, Travis Ruff then proceeds to bend over behind him and hold his arms against his sides.
On April 30, 2024, CI Stewart-Martin conducted a phone interview with Brooke Headley. Ms. Headley saw Travis Ruff approaching Child A, aggressively grabbed him by the arm and dragged Child A to a chair on the other side of the room. Travis Ruff then proceeds to take Child A's hands and hold them behind his back. Child A would not stop crying which resulted in Travis Ruff taking Child A by the arm and guiding him to a wall and holding his face in the corner. At this time Ms. Headley noticed that Child A had wet himself, she took him and changed him.
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