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A lawsuit filed by The Button Law Firm against Arka Montessori Academy of Risinger is gaining national attention after surveillance footage showed a teacher forcing another child to attack a 4-year-old boy before grabbing, shaking, and throwing him to the floor.
The Independent has featured the Harris family’s case, bringing attention to what happened inside the Fort Worth daycare and the serious safety failures at the center of the lawsuit.
The article highlights the disturbing surveillance footage, the Harris family’s loss of trust in a daycare they believed was safe, and Texas daycare injury lawyer Russell Button’s warning that cases like this should put daycares everywhere on notice.
“This place looked like a child fight club,” Russell Button said. “It felt like one. This kid was thrown around like a human rag doll by somebody who was supposed to protect him.”
A Mother Knew Something Was Wrong with Her Son
The Harris family’s mother made an unexpected visit to Arka Montessori and immediately knew something was wrong when she saw her son crying inconsolably.
“I knew from his cry, in the look on his face, that something had happened,” she said. “And from that point on, I said, ‘I need to see the cameras.’”
She trusted her instinct and demanded to see the daycare’s surveillance footage.
What she saw was shocking.
The video showed much more than a fight between two young children. It showed an adult teacher encouraging the confrontation instead of stopping it and protecting the children involved.
Surveillance Footage Showed a Teacher Encouraging the Fight
The footage shows how a conflict between two 4-year-olds escalated once an adult became 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, and the children began fighting.
Another Arka Montessori teacher then entered the room to provide coverage, and that teacher was the other child’s mother.
The footage shows the caregiver’s child going after the Harris family’s son again. When the 4-year-old tried to protect himself, the teacher grabbed him, shook him, and forcefully shoved him.
She then encouraged her own child to continue the confrontation.
The teacher grabbed the Harris son and held onto him as he tried to get away. While still restraining him, she pulled his leg out from underneath him, causing him to fall hard onto the floor.
Russell Button said the footage showed something no parent should ever expect to happen inside a daycare classroom.
“A daycare classroom should never become a child fight club,” he said.
The Harris Family Thought They Had Chosen a Safe Daycare
One of the most painful parts of this case is how carefully the Harris family chose Arka Montessori.
They researched daycare options and prioritized education, cleanliness, and surveillance cameras. They even had their son attend for a half day before fully enrolling him.
“Arka, we thought we hit gold with Arka,” his father said.
The family believed they had found a place where their son would be safe, supported, and protected. Watching the surveillance footage shattered that trust.
His mother later put that feeling into words: “Everything that glitters isn’t gold, and that facility was one of them.”
The Independent Highlights Arka Montessori’s Prior Safety Deficiencies
The Independent also reported that Arka Montessori had a history of state deficiencies involving child health and safety before this case became public.
State deficiency records add important context to the Harris family’s lawsuit and the concerns raised about how the daycare operated.
Parents can review daycare inspection and compliance histories through the Texas Health and Human Services.
Reviewing daycare inspection and compliance reports can help families learn whether a daycare has previously been cited for supervision failures, training issues, safety violations, or other concerns before enrolling their child.
Speaking Up Can Help Protect Other Children
The Harris family came forward because they want accountability and justice for what happened to their son and because speaking publicly can help protect other children from daycare abuse or neglect.
“When you speak up, when you bring these things to light, it helps hold everyone accountable,” Russell Button said. “That makes other daycares take notice. That makes them change their ways and become safer. So, working parents have a place to send their kids.”
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 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.
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