Daycare 'fight club' caught on camera — and now this mom is suing
A mother is suing a child care center after she claims her 4-year-old son was encouraged to fight another child in a “fight club”-style scenario. Nicole Merseal said her then 10-year-old son filmed video of his 4-year-old brother being repeatedly punched at Adventure Learning Centre in St Louis, Mo., in December 2016, FOX 2 reports.
Merseal claims that the day care centre organized a “fight club”, according to court documents. Video shows one child with a Hulk fist, a large green glove, on his right hand, punching another boy as he lies on the ground. A circle has formed around them, as adults, along with other children, watch.
Merseal told ABC News her 4-year-old was “very afraid” and had trouble understanding why his best friends were beating him up. “He just doesn’t understand why they punched him in the face,” Merseal said. “I don’t know any parent that could watch their children go through this and not be upset.”
She added that the day that on which the event happened was her son’s birthday.
Day care cameras recorded more than 30 minutes of the kids fighting, WNEP 16 reported. Merseal told Fox Now 2 that her older son texted her saying that the day care was “making them fight.” The news station also quoted a police report stating that two teachers were fired over the incident. It said that the St. Louis Circuit Attorney’s Office “declined to prosecute.”
The two teachers were identified by ABC News as Mickala Guilford and Tena Dailey. Court documents state that Guilford told the day care center’s director, Jennifer Scott, that the children were bored that day and she admitted to having the kids fight each other with the “Hulk Hands” to release stress.
She claims it didn’t last for more than about four minutes and that none of the kids were hurt. Merseal isn’t satisfied and is suing the day care centre for more than $35,000.
Read more from Yahoo Lifestyle:
Girl dresses as ‘tired mom’ for Halloween and it’s all too relatable
Man defends dressing 5-year-old son as Hitler for Halloween: ‘We love history’
Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter for nonstop inspiration delivered fresh to your feed, every day.
