An innocent scan through CCTV footage to find the missing shoe of a young child allegedly uncovered horrific abuse at a childminders in Texas, according to a lawsuit.
As many as 23 violations were cited against YMCA of Central Texas by state investigators, after surveillance footage captured a former staff member Geraline Browning physically abusing children.
The 45-year-old was charged with four counts of injury to a child, and one of assault after an investigation into her behavior at Northwest Elementary School, in north Austin, by the Pflugerville ISD [Independent School District] Police Department.
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In one of the horrific incidents, the daycare staffer is seen grabbing a two-year-old girl from behind by her neck and collarbone and with both hands forcing her onto the floor as she cried.
Later that day, court documents state that Browning pulled the toddler onto her lap by grabbing under her ear at a pressure point.
It all came about as a school district's HR director reported that they had seen Browning 'choking' a kid in the daycare on CCTV footage.
Papers also state that the CCTV recordings in question took place between January and February last year.
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Among the offenses, arrest affidavits claim that she grabbed children by their throats and necks, shook them, and forcefully pushed them to the ground.
In a statement issued to CBS Austin at the time, Chief Marketing Officer Laura Arredondo, of YMCA of Central Texas, said: "We recently terminated an employee after reviewing evidence of physical aggression directed at several of our students.
"We immediately alerted the parents, CPS [Child Protective Services] and the local authorities. The well-being of our students is our utmost priority and fortunately, these children are safe.
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"We follow the state's guidelines on safety and run extensive background checks before hiring employees. The YMCA of Central Texas is committed to ensuring the safest possible environment for our families and will work tirelessly to that end."
As parents allege that their children suffered 'serious physical, emotional, and mental injuries' under Browning's care, a lawsuit has been filed against YMCA which alleged that it failed to screen employees, train and properly supervise children enrolled on the Pflugerville school's childcare program.
Some of the violation alleged against the facility include: failure to report incidents placing children at risk, dealing out prohibited punishment and having improper staff-to-child ratios.
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The lawsuit, filed toward the end of last month at Travis County District Court, seeks damages exceeding more than $1 million.
YMCA issued CBS Austin the following statement: "Due to pending litigation, our response is limited. We can tell you upon becoming aware of the situation, we immediately suspended and subsequently terminated the employee after reviewing evidence of physical aggression directed at several of our students.
"We quickly alerted the parents, CPS and the local authorities. The well-being of our students is our utmost priority. We follow the state’s guidelines on safety and run extensive background checks before hiring employees.
"The YMCA of Central Texas is committed to ensuring the safest possible environment for our families."
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If you’ve been affected by any of these issues or want to speak to someone in confidence regarding the welfare of a child, the Childhelp USA National Child Abuse Hotline (1-800-4-A-CHILD (1-800-422-4453) operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and receives calls from throughout the United States, Canada, US Virgin Islands, Guam and Puerto Rico.
Joe Yates