HAMILTON, Mississippi (AP) — State regulators are investigating following a video showing four daycare workers scaring children at a facility in an unincorporated community in northeast Mississippi went viral on social media. social.
Facebook videos show a daycare worker at Lil’ Blessings Child Care & Learning Center in Hamilton wearing a Halloween mask and yelling at kids who haven’t “cleaned up” or “been doing the right thing”.
Children can be seen and heard crying and, at times, running away from the mask-wearing employee while another employee instructs children who have done right or wrong. The employee wearing the mask is sometimes shown shouting inches from the children’s faces.
Sheila Sanders, owner of the business for 20 years, said she didn’t know regarding the videos until Wednesday followingnoon, the Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal reported.
Sanders said a video was shot in September and another on Tuesday. “No one came to tell me it happened in September,” she said.
The behavior shown by her former employees in the video, she says, is not tolerated.
“I contacted my license and she got involved,” Sanders said. “The people who committed these acts are no longer with us. They were fired. I wasn’t there at the time and didn’t know they were doing this. I do not endorse this and have never done so. I just want to say that we took care of it. »
The Mississippi State Health Department and Monroe County Sheriff’s Office are investigating. Liz Sharlot, director of communications at the state health department, confirmed the investigation.
On Thursday morning, parents reacted to the videos as they dropped off their children for care, expressing their support for the facility.
“I know 100% that Mrs. Sheila, the owner and manager, was unaware of this situation that was happening and as soon as she found out all parties were immediately disbanded,” said Kimberly Smith , whose child can be seen in one of the videos. “The witch hunt that took place once morest her and the others still there, it really needs to stop. Was the situation that arose horrible? Absolutely. But if that daycare were to be closed and other naughty beings still there, absolutely not.
The Associated Press
