Toddlers thrown to the ground at daycare in shocking video
The father of a two-year-old Australian girl says he has been left enraged after watching videos of childcare employees abusing his daughter, and the 'deliberate and malicious' attempts to 'sweep it under the rug'.
Shocking videos have emerged of Apple Montessori School employees, based in Hoboken, New Jersey, using brutal force while handling at least three toddlers.
“I was absolutely furious, as you can imagine," Brett Stenhouse, the two-year-old's father, told News Corp.
"It was absolutely disgusting and disgraceful the way they’ve treated our child and the other children.
“It’s heartbreaking, you put so much trust in these places to look after your child, you pay so much money to get care and to help them start to learn, for that trust to be battered the way it was deplorable.”
In a video posted to Facebook, an employee is seen forcing the toddler to the ground while attempting to put a hat on her head, before leaving her shaken on the ground.
Another video shows a holding a crying child in the air by the legs, lifting her over a fence and then dragging her back inside.
“Stop right now. I don’t know what to do with her. Stop. Stop it,” the teacher is heard screaming.
The videos, recorded by a resident in a nearby high-rise, sent shockwaves through the community.
When they were revealed, parents were notified of an 'incident' by phone and an email was sent the following day stating a teacher had been fired over a child's mistreatment. Five people, including the teachers in the video and the Hoboken branch’s director and assistant director, have been fired since the events unfolded in May.
Stenhouse also claims the school lied and tried to cover up the incident, alleging that the school issued a cease-and-desist letter to the woman who filmed the video.
“She had seen a number of things that made her feel uncomfortable, she was planning on sending her own child there," he said.
“We were absolutely deceived ... (they said) there was nothing to be concerned about.
“They absolutely knew the facts at that point and they made a conscious decision to lie to us, they chose not to act against the teacher at that point. It was just completely unconscionable.
“I continue to be aggravated by the whole situation and the utter contempt with which we’ve been treated.”
Because Apple Montessori isn't a licensed daycare facility, it is not subject to regulations set by the state education centre - such as those which require criminal background checks for all employees.
“Apple Montessori takes the safety and wellbeing of all students seriously, and has a 40-year reputation for quality in care and education of children," the school said in a statement.
"We too are outraged by the unacceptable and inexcusable behaviour of the individuals involved, and took immediate, definitive action when learning of the incident.”
The school is now facing a lawsuit filed by a number of parents who are seeking damages for assault, negligence, breach of contract, emotional damage and other charges.
News break - August 25
