Heather and Richard Harris are suing Arka Montessori Academy of Risinger in Fort Worth, Texas, for $1 million (£750,000), alleging that CCTV footage shows staff allowing and even encouraging violence against their four-year-old son.
The civil lawsuit, filed in Tarrant County District Court, alleges negligence and gross negligence after what the family says was captured on security cameras. Court papers describe the classroom environment as a “child fight club” and allege the boy, identified as U.H., was thrown to the floor “like a human ragdoll”.
Incident details
According to the filing and state findings referenced in the claim, the incident happened on April 27 this year, after U.H. was moved into a combined afternoon classroom. The Harrises allege that while the regular classroom teacher, Jacqueline De Luna, was distracted, another four-year-old boy - the son of substitute teacher Chynia Johnson - struck U.H. in the back.
The lawsuit claims that when U.H. tried to defend himself, Johnson escalated the situation by grabbing the child by the arm and shaking him. It then alleges Johnson encouraged her own son to continue attacking U.H. The claim reportedly alleges she held U.H. by the wrist and swiped his legs from under him, throwing him onto the hardwood floor “like a human ragdoll”. The suit also alleges De Luna watched the physical assault without intervening.
Parents' discovery
The parents say they only realised the extent of what happened when Heather Harris arrived for an unannounced early pick-up and found her son crying “hysterically and uncontrollably”, with scratches and bruises. The nursery initially gave what the Harrises describe as a false account, claiming the children had simply got into a normal playground scuffle that teachers broke up. The family requested the facility’s security footage, which they say contradicted the staff’s account and led them to file the lawsuit.
In a statement, Mrs Harris said: “Nothing prepared me for seeing my child aggressively handled and attacked by another child at a teacher’s orders. My heart just shattered into pieces because I couldn’t be there to protect my son from being harmed, all while he was being cared for by a daycare that I trusted.”
Regulatory action and impact
Following the incident, the lawsuit says Texas state regulators investigated and cited Arka Montessori Academy for multiple major disciplinary violations, including prohibited punishments, improper discipline and failing to intervene. The claim reportedly also alleges the facility had amassed more than 16 safety infractions and deficiencies since it received its operating permit in January 2024, and says Johnson is no longer employed there.
The Harrises say their son continues to suffer physical and psychological trauma, including post-traumatic headaches, severe emotional anxiety, a fear of being left alone, and extreme distress triggered by loud noises or raised voices.
