Toddlers at a St. Louis daycare were learning more than their ABC’s when video surfaced showing that they were forced to fight their fellow classmates.
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The teachers at Adventure Learning Center were reportedly acting as fight promoters for a one-day fight club featuring the preschoolers boxing each other back in December 2016. Since the heater had broken, the lead teacher thought it was a good idea to pass the time by having the babies kick each other’s butt in an effort to entertain the preschool crowd, Fox 2 reports.
A 10-year-old child recorded the brawl on his iPad because his little brother was involved. He said his brother was crying his eyes out after being forced to fight at least three times.
The surprising video, which has now gone viral, shows the teachers pumped up and shouting as another teacher gets a kid ready fight by placing over-sized Incredible Hulk fists on him.
One mom, Nicole Merseal is outraged and said she can’t watch the video without crying. Her older son texted it to her, showing her baby boy fighting.
“He doesn`t understand why his friends were fighting him — why he was beaten up by his best friends. And it was on his 4th birthday,” she said.
She said, “In the video, he`s wiping his face over and over again. The daycare worker – you see her walk over to him and tell him, you know – you`re fine and you know – pat him on the back and then walk and start another fight with other kids.”
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Merseal said her son is traumatized. “When we chose a new daycare for him and he started going he asked me in the car if they were going to make him fight.”
Since the video surfaced, the daycare has been under scrutiny. State regulators have increased inspections of the facility.
In one report, a teacher allegedly cussed a 4-year-old child out and grabbed and pushed him down in March 2018. In another report in March, “agency staff member observed a caregiver…grab a child approximately 3- years-old by the arm and drag/carry the child.” The report adds that the “(director) was standing in this classroom and did not respond…”
The teachers involved in the fight club incident were fired immediately by the director and she called the child abuse hotline to report. The St. Louis Circuit Attorney`s Office did not choose the prosecute the women.
Merseal doesn’t think enough was done.
She said, “I want them to be held accountable and I don`t want this to happen to any other child.”