BLF Files Lawsuit After 4-Year-Old Is Thrown Like a “Human Ragdoll” at Fort Worth Daycare, DMN Reports

Dallas Morning News Highlights Mother’s Persistence in The Button Law Firm’s Fort Worth Daycare Lawsuit

A Fort Worth mother trusted her instincts, kept asking questions, and uncovered surveillance footage showing a daycare teacher physically harming her 4-year-old son and encouraging another child to fight him.

That moment is at the center of The Dallas Morning News coverage of a lawsuit filed by The Button Law Firm on behalf of the Harris family against Arka Montessori Academy of Risinger.

“The truth came out because this mom trusted her instincts,” Texas daycare injury lawyer Russell Button told The Dallas Morning News. “She kept pushing and kept pushing.”

A Mother Knew the Explanation Did Not Match What She Saw

When the Harris family’s mother arrived to pick up her son in April, she found the 4-year-old crying uncontrollably.

Daycare employees told her that her son had gotten into a fight with another child.

But that explanation did not match the child standing in front of her.

She continued asking questions and insisted on seeing the classroom’s surveillance footage.

What she saw revealed far more than a fight between two young children.

The footage showed an adult caregiver grabbing, shaking, dragging, and restraining her son while encouraging another child to hit and kick him.

Another teacher was nearby and failed to properly intervene.

Surveillance Footage Showed a Teacher Escalating the Confrontation

The Harris family’s son had been moved into another classroom after his regular teacher’s shift ended.

While the supervising teacher had her back turned, another child hit the 4-year-old and a brief fight followed.

Minutes later, another Arka Montessori teacher entered the classroom. That teacher was the other child’s mother.

The footage shows her own child push the Harris family’s son in the chest. When the 4-year-old raised his hands to defend himself, the teacher grabbed his arm, shook him, and shoved him away.

She later pulled the children toward one another and encouraged her son to hit and kick the 4-year-old.

As the Harris son tried to get away, the teacher held onto his wrist and pulled his leg out from underneath him, sending him down onto the hardwood floor.

“This place looked like a child fight club,” Russell Button told The Dallas Morning News. “This kid was thrown around like a human rag doll by somebody who was supposed to protect him.”

The Harris Family Says Their Son Is Still Struggling

The 4-year-old suffered bruises, scratches, pain, and post-traumatic headaches after the incident.

But his parents say the emotional impact lasted much longer.

“Our son was a happy, outgoing little boy,” the Harris family told The Dallas Morning News. “We trusted Arka Montessori of Risinger to keep our son safe, but they failed us in every way.”

Since the incident, their son has struggled with anxiety, fear of being left alone, and distress around loud noises and raised voices.

“Since that day, our son has been anxious and afraid, and he is still traumatized by what happened to him,” the family said.

The emotional impact eventually became so serious that the Harris family removed him from daycare.

State Investigation Found Multiple Child Safety Violations

Texas Health and Human Services investigated what happened and cited Arka Montessori for four violations tied to the incident.

Those violations involved improper discipline, prohibited grabbing and pulling, yelling at a child, and a caregiver’s failure to intervene.

The investigation also uncovered prior concerns involving the same teacher. Employees reported that she had yelled at children and handled them aggressively, and an administrator acknowledged that concerns about her yelling had already been addressed multiple times.

The daycare also had a history of earlier state citations involving supervision, required training, CPR and first-aid certifications, and other child safety requirements.

Parents can review daycare inspection and compliance histories through the Texas Health and Human Services when researching where to place their child.

How The Button Law Firm Is Helping The Harris Family Seek Accountability

The Button Law Firm filed this lawsuit to hold Arka Montessori accountable for the failures that allowed the Harris family’s son to be harmed.

The case is also about what can happen when warning signs involving caregivers are ignored, and parents are not given the full truth about what happened to their child.

“A daycare classroom should never become a child fight club,” Russell Button said.

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 seriously injured at daycare or you have concerns about how a daycare handled an incident involving 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.