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FORT WORTH, Texas – A lawsuit has been filed on behalf of the Harris family against Arka Montessori Academy of Risinger after surveillance footage captured a daycare teacher forcing a physical fight between 4-year-old children before aggressively grabbing, shaking, dragging, and throwing their son to the floor. A state investigation uncovered serious concerns about the teacher’s history of yelling, aggression, and supervision failures.
The Button Law Firm is pursuing the lawsuit on behalf of the Harris family after their young child was harmed inside the Fort Worth daycare classroom.
The Harris family learned what happened when the boy’s mother demanded to see the daycare’s surveillance footage after finding her son crying uncontrollably at pickup.
What the video showed was horrifying.
Click here to read the full petition.
Surveillance Footage Revealed What Happened Inside the Classroom
On April 27, 2026, the Harris family’s 4-year-old son was moved into another classroom near the end of the day after his regular teacher’s shift ended.
While the supervising teacher had her back turned, another child hit the Harris family’s son in the back.
The situation escalated when another Arka Montessori teacher entered the room to relieve the main teacher for a restroom break. That teacher was the mother of the boy that hit the Harrises' son.
Surveillance footage shows the teacher grabbing the Harrises' son, shaking him, screaming in his face, and forcefully shoving him before letting him go. The teacher's son then comes running at full speed at the Harrises' son, after which she is seen grabbing, shaking, and shoving the Harrises' son again.
When the main teacher reenters the classroom, surveillance footage shows her stand by and do nothing as the other teacher goes after the Harrises' son a third time. This time, she is heard telling her child to kick the Harrises' son while forcefully trying to drag them into a physical altercation, turning the classroom into a "fight club."
While the Harrises' boy desperately tries to free himself, the teacher holds onto his arm with one hand and uses her other to pull his legs out from underneath him, slamming him to the ground as his arms and legs flail "like a human rag doll."
The main Arka Montessori teacher stood by and watched. She did not intervene to stop the teacher or save the Harrises' son.
The Young Boy Was Left With Physical and Emotional Injuries
The Harris family’s son was left with bruises and scratches on his arms, pain, and post-traumatic headaches.
But what happened inside that classroom went beyond physical injuries.
Before this incident, the young boy was social and outgoing. Afterward, his parents watched him become anxious, afraid to be left alone, and increasingly dependent on them for reassurance.
His transition to another daycare became extremely difficult. He would freeze at the classroom entrance, cry, and cling to his parents because he was afraid to go inside.
He remembers being grabbed, pulled, yanked, dragged, and thrown to the floor. He remembers being screamed at and having to defend himself while an adult forced another child to attack him.
Loud noises and raised voices can still overwhelm him and bring back that fear.
Arka Montessori Had Warning Signs Before This Happened
What makes this case even more concerning is that there were warning signs before the Harris family’s son was hurt.
The state investigation revealed that Arka Montessori leadership already knew the caregiver had problems with yelling, aggression, and becoming overwhelmed around children.
An Arka Montessori administrator reported hearing her yell at children from the front office and acknowledged that the issue had already been addressed multiple times.
Another employee reported seeing the caregiver grab children by their upper arms, roughly sit them into chairs, and “snap” before yelling and handling children aggressively.
The caregiver had also previously failed to properly supervise children, including leaving one child outside on a playground and another inside a classroom alone.
Despite these warning signs, Arka Montessori continued placing her in charge of young children.
State Investigation Cited Arka Montessori for Child Safety Violations
The Texas Health and Human Services Commission Child-Care Licensing Division investigated what happened to the Harris family’s son and cited Arka Montessori for multiple violations of Texas childcare safety laws.
The violations included:
- Using improper methods of discipline
- Using prohibited punishment, including grabbing and pulling
- Yelling at a young child
- Failing to intervene while a child was being inappropriately handled
The citations tied to this incident were not the first safety problems documented at Arka Montessori.
Since opening in 2024, the daycare has also been cited for supervision failures, leaving children unattended, failing to meet CPR and first-aid requirements, and other violations of Texas childcare safety laws.
The Button Law Firm is Helping the Harris Family Seek Accountability
The Harris family trusted Arka Montessori to protect their son. Instead, they watched surveillance footage showing their young child having to defend himself while a teacher forced the confrontation and then physically harmed him.
They are now seeking accountability for what happened to their son and for the warning signs that were ignored before he was hurt.
“No child should ever be subjected to harm by a daycare that promised to keep children safe,” says Texas daycare and child injury lawyer Russell Button of The Button Law Firm. “Our goal with this lawsuit is to get accountability for this family and protect children from serious harm.”
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 hurt at daycare, or if you have concerns about how a daycare handled an incident involving your child, our team can help you understand your options and the next steps available to your family.
Call 214-699-4409, email intake@buttonlawfirm.com, or fill out our contact form to share your story or experience with our team.
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