COUSHATTA, La. – Reports of several Red River Parish Head Start students being hit and yelled at during class has led to the arrests of three teachers.
The Red River Parish Sheriff’s Office has charged the following:
They were booked into the Red River Parish Jail Thursday and released on their own recognizance.
School Superintendent Allison Strong could not be reached for comment late Friday afternoon. But in a statement published by the Red River Parish Journal, Strong said she was aware of allegations of “inappropriate disciplinary behavior” by staff members in one of the Head Start classrooms.
Strong said an investigation was launched and the district was cooperating with law enforcement and child protective services.
According to a copy of a document from the Louisiana Department of Education, the incidents happened in January but were not reported until February. No names are included in the report; staff members and children are identified by numbers.
The DOE report states children in the Head Start classroom were subjected to physical punishment, verbal abuse and threats.
The first incident happened on Jan. 7 when a teacher is alleged to have yelled at a three-year-old for not holding a plate properly. The child was grabbed by her shirt, pulled out of the way of another student and her hands were grabbed “forcefully” in an attempt to secure the plate in her hand, the report states.
The student started crying when she was grabbed by the shoulder. The teacher reportedly told the child to “shut up” three times.
The teacher also later asked the child to sing. When the child did not comply, the teacher allegedly hit the child in the chest using a left open hand. The teacher grabbed the child’s face demanding she look at her, according to the report.
The DOE report states on Jan. 22, a staff member was seen on video hitting a three-year-old child in the chest. She also allegedly grabbed the child by the neck in a “choking motion.” The staff member shoved the child, who was seated in a chair, up underneath a table.
A third incident was recorded on Jan. 23 when a different teacher grabbed a four-year-old by the left shoulder and yelled. The teacher grabbed a crayon from the child. Two minutes later, the same teacher reportedly hit another child in the face with a crayon, pinched her on the right arm and chest while telling her to move 10 times until she began to cry, according to the report.
Based on a review of the records, the school district failed to notify DOE and the Department of Child Welfare of the incidents within the mandated 24 hours. Weeks passed before the proper notifications were made, DOE stated.
The DOE report notes staff members are mandated reporters and are not to delay reporting suspected abuse or neglect.
A corrective action plan included with the report indicates all staff are to retake mandatory reporter training to ensure compliance with the regulation. Staff meetings also were to be held on the importance of ensuring reporting of such incidents is done in a timely manner.