Heather and Richard Harris have filed a lawsuit against Arka Montessori Academy of Risinger in Tarrant County, alleging that a teacher at the Fort Worth daycare physically abused their four-year-old son and encouraged him to engage in violence.
The legal action, filed on Sept. 4, cites video footage from April 27 that allegedly shows teacher Chynia Johnson shaking the child and urging her own son to attack him.
The complaint states that the incident occurred when the boy, identified in court documents only by the initials U.H., was transferred to a different classroom because his regular teacher had left for the day. According to the lawsuit, another student hit U.H. on the back, prompting a scuffle between the two boys.
When Johnson entered the room, she allegedly grabbed U.H. by the arm and shook him aggressively while screaming in his face.
Court documents describe further escalation in the video evidence. The suit alleges that after pushing her own son toward U.H., Johnson pulled the four-year-old by his wrist and yanked his leg out from under him, causing him to fall. An additional teacher’s statement included in the lawsuit claims that Johnson was verbally instructing her child to kick and hit U.H.
Heather Harris initially requested to view the daycare’s surveillance footage after picking up her son, who was reportedly crying hysterically. The lawsuit notes that the daycare was reluctant to show the video at first. Harris only viewed the recording after hearing a staff member gasp while watching it.
Photos attached to the legal filing show bruises on the child’s arm, which the suit attributes to Johnson’s grip.
