HOMEWOOD, Ill. (WLS) — A south suburban daycare worker was caught on camera putting a child in a garbage can.
The child’s parents say they are shocked by what they are calling outright cruelty, in an ABC7 Chicago exclusive.
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The incident occurred in Homewood on a Monday, as reported by the parents. They were only informed about it when they picked up their son, who told them that his teacher had placed him in a garbage can because he refused to nap.
The 2- and 4-year-old boys got to play at home Friday; they’ve been clingy since the incident, their parents said.
Their parents are looking for a new day care, as well.
Video from a camera in the Learning Lab day care shows a day care worker picking up the 4-year-old, and placing him in a garbage can.
Monica Forte, the mother, expressed her shock, stating, “I was speechless, especially after watching the video. My immediate reaction was tears, and I headed straight to the police station.”
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Despite the boy not sustaining physical injuries, the police informed his mother that they couldn’t take any action. The parents, however, are worried about the potential psychological impact on their son, considering that other children and teachers witnessed the distressing incident.
“We just wanna make sure that Grayson is aware that the situation, what she did, was wrong. He did nothing wrong,” father Justin Barnes said. “It was just way worse than I could imagine.I’m worried about what he feels.”
The boys’ parents say they were told the individual worker involved was fired. But, they are concerned that other teachers at the school witnessed the incident and failed to stop it, or even report it. The parents have used this day care for nearly two years. They will not be going back.
The parents say the teacher told them it was a joke.
“You work with kids. You have to know how to deescalate the situation. You don’t put them in a garbage can if they don’t want to take a nap,” Forte said.
The couple said they are grateful for their son telling them what happened. If not, they say they might have never found out.
The parents say they are now considering a civil lawsuit against the daycare.
“We tried to work cooperatively and transparently with the family. We are working with our licensing agency, DCFS and the Homewood police. We have shared additional information we became aware of yesterday because we believe it warranted further investigation and possible action against the person who did this. We have also fired a second employee who failed to intervene,” Learning Lab said in a statement.
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