FWST Reports on BLF’s Lawsuit After a 4-Year-Old Was Thrown “Like a Human Ragdoll” at Fort Worth Daycare

Fort Worth Star-Telegram Covers BLF’s Lawsuit Over a “Child Fight Club”

A 4-year-old boy was thrown around “like a human rag doll” inside a Fort Worth daycare classroom while a teacher encouraged another child to fight him, according to a lawsuit filed by The Button Law Firm on behalf of the Harris family.

The Fort Worth Star-Telegram recently reported on the lawsuit against Arka Montessori Academy of Risinger and spoke with Texas daycare injury lawyer Russell Button about what happened, the warning signs that existed beforehand, and why this case raises serious concerns about how the daycare protected children in its care.

“This is a very, very serious case on every level,” Russell Button told the newspaper.

A Mother Trusted Her Instinct and Asked More Questions

When the Harris family’s mother arrived to pick up her 4-year-old son in April, she found him crying hysterically and knew immediately that something was wrong.

She was told that her son had gotten into a fight with another child and that the teacher had simply separated them.

But what she was seeing on her child’s face did not match that explanation.

She trusted her instinct, kept asking questions, and demanded to see the daycare’s surveillance footage.

What she saw was shocking.

The video showed that her son had not simply been involved in a fight between children. An adult who was supposed to protect him had helped escalate the situation and physically harmed him.

Surveillance Footage Showed an Adult Escalating the Fight

The surveillance footage shows how a conflict turned into something far more serious after an Arka Montessori teacher got involved.

The Harris family’s son had been moved into another classroom after his regular teacher’s shift ended. While the supervising teacher was distracted, another child hit the 4-year-old in the back, and the children began fighting.

The fight stopped.

Then another Arka Montessori teacher entered the classroom.

That teacher was the other child’s mother.

Instead of calming the situation, the footage shows her own child running toward the Harris family’s son and pushing him. When the 4-year-old tried to protect himself, the teacher grabbed him, shook him, and forcefully shoved him away.

The teacher then directed her own child back toward the 4-year-old.

Another teacher later stated that she heard the teacher telling her son to kick the Harris boy and trying to force him to hit the 4-year-old.

The teacher then grabbed the Harris family’s son by both arms, pulled him toward her, and held onto him as he tried to get away.

She eventually grabbed his leg while still holding his wrist, causing him to lose his balance and slam onto the floor.

Russell Button described the scene as watching a child being thrown around “like a human rag doll” by someone whose job was to protect him.

“One teacher harmed him. Another teacher watched. The daycare failed to prevent either one,” Daycare Injury Attorney Russell Button said.

The Harm Did Not End When the Video Stopped

The Harris family’s son was left with scratches, bruising, headaches, and ongoing emotional trauma.

His parents say loud noises and raised voices can still cause him to cry in fear. He has also struggled with anxiety and frustration since the incident.

His mother described the pain of watching what happened to her son in the footage.

“Nothing prepared me for seeing my child aggressively handled and attacked by another child at a teacher’s orders,” she said. “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.”

Texas Health and Human Services Uncovered Prior Warning Signs

Texas Health and Human Services later investigated what happened at Arka Montessori and uncovered prior concerns involving the same teacher.

An administrator and another teacher reported hearing her yell at children. Another employee described seeing her grab children by their upper arms and roughly sit them into chairs.

The investigation also uncovered previous supervision failures involving the teacher.

Those findings added another troubling layer to what happened to the Harris family’s son: the warning signs existed before he was hurt.

“This was not one bad moment. It was a chain of failures, and a 4-year-old child paid the price,” Russell Button said.

The Button Law Firm Is Seeking Accountability

The Harris family trusted Arka Montessori to care for and protect their son.

Instead, they were left watching a video of their child trying to defend himself while an adult encouraged another child to fight him and then physically harmed him herself.

The Button Law Firm filed this lawsuit to hold Arka Montessori accountable for what happened and for the failures that enabled it.

At The Button Law Firm, we represent kids in daycare and child injury cases to help them get life-changing results and justice against bad daycares, schools, and companies that abuse and neglect the safety of children.

If your child was harmed at daycare or you have concerns about how a daycare responded after something happened to your child, call 214-699-4409, email intake@buttonlawfirm.com, or fill out our contact form to share your story or experience with our team.