| Conclusion Summary |
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On February 10, 2026, the Office of Childhood (OOC) received a report alleging that on December 17, 2025 at around 4:00 p.m., Child A (6 years old) was being bullied by approximately two other children. Parent A did not know the names or ages of the other children but guessed they were in third or fourth grade. The bullying incident was recorded on Child A's tablet that he was holding at the time. The tablet was damaged. After conducting the investigation, Compliance Inspector (CI) Curtis West finds the allegation is substantiated. This conclusion is based on the following evidence of a licensing rule violation that occurred at the facility:
5 CSR 25-500.182(1)(A)3, which states "Caregivers shall provide frequent, direct contact so children are not left unobserved on the premises."
On February 10, 2026, CI West interviewed Parent A (Parent of Child A), who stated that Child A had attended the afterschool program at the facility. Child A is not very verbal and uses a tablet to communicate. Child A's tablet was damaged while at the facility. She came across a video of Child A being bullied, fighting three or four other children. It looked like the children were inside of a wooden enclosure.
On February 10, 2026, CI West received an email communication from Parent A with the video from Child A's tablet. The video was a recording taken from a tablet. The footage begins from inside a wooden enclosure. There is some audio, and the children can be heard discussing the fight. Child A could be heard repeating "I'm Sorry". There was a scuffle and the tablet drops to the floor recording the ceiling.
On February 13, 2026, CI West conducted an unannounced inspection and interviewed Director LaTonya Williams, Caregiver Jyzzaiyah Bagsby, Caregiver Shaneka Thornton, Caregiver Patricia Williamson, Child C (11 years old), and Child D (6 years old). Latonya stated that she was made aware of the video of Child A fighting off several classmates by Parent A. From the looks of the video, the fight took place inside the calming box that is located inside the classroom. There are a few spots inside the classroom where the caregiver wouldn't be able to see inside the calming box. Jyzzaiyah, Shaneka, and Patricia provided consistent information. They stated that children are not allowed to fight each other. Children are not allowed to break each other's things. When you're in certain areas of the classroom, you can't see inside the calming box.
Child C and Child D provided consistent information. Kids will fight or play fight while at the daycare.
On February 13, 2026, CI West conducted a walkthrough of the facility and observed the calming box located in the school age classroom. The box is in the back left corner of the room. The entrance is facing the door and front of the classroom. The entrance to the box was directly in the middle. There is a small window opening to the left and to the right of the entrance. There are no openings on either side of the box. There were soft throw pillows and blankets inside the box. CI West could not see inside the box from everywhere in the classroom.
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