A Fort Worth family has initiated a $1 million civil lawsuit against Arka Montessori Academy after an employee allegedly orchestrated a hostile, "fight club" dynamic among toddlers and physically attacked a 4-year-old student as an extreme form of discipline.
The legal action, lodged on September 4 in Tarrant County district court, demands compensation for the severe physical, mental, and psychological distress inflicted upon the young boy, who is designated in legal filings simply as U.H.
The lawsuit was brought by the Dallas-based Button Law Firm against the daycare chain, which operates 11 distinct campuses throughout the greater Dallas-Fort Worth area. According to legal documents, the incident took place at the provider's Risinger facility on April 27.
The trouble began toward the end of the day when classroom groups were merged together as staff members started finishing their shifts. It was during this transitional period that U.H. was placed under the supervision of staff in a combined room.
According to the complaint, an altercation started when the young son of substitute teacher Chynia Johnson struck U.H. in the back. At the time of this initial hit, the classroom's primary educator, identified as Jacqueline De Luna, had her attention turned elsewhere.
Rather than intervening to de-escalate the classroom friction, Johnson allegedly stepped into the room and actively encouraged her child to continue attacking U.H. The lawsuit states that Johnson's son then charged toward U.H. and shoved him in the chest, while Johnson herself forcefully seized and shook the 4-year-old victim before roughly pushing him away.
Following that confrontation, Johnson reportedly spoke to her child again, prompting him to launch a third charge at U.H. In response, the 4-year-old victim raised his arms and legs to defend himself against the incoming strike, which resulted in Johnson's son falling to the floor.
The situation escalated into further physical abuse when Johnson allegedly lunged directly at U.H. Court documents detail that the substitute teacher seized the child by both arms, violently shook him, and shouted directly into his face. As the frightened 4-year-old struggled to free himself from her grip, Johnson reportedly hauled her own child over so the two boys were positioned face-to-face.
Witness statements referenced in the filing indicate that De Luna later acknowledged hearing Johnson instruct her son to kick and strike U.H. While maintaining a hold on U.H.'s wrist, Johnson is accused of yanking the boy's leg out from under him, causing him to crash violently onto the room's hardwood flooring.
Classroom surveillance video cited in the complaint shows that De Luna remained an inactive spectator throughout the violent episode, making no effort to step in, separate the parties, or safeguard the young boy in her care.
In their formal filing, attorneys for the family strongly condemned the daycare's failure of care, stating that the facility handled the young child like a "human ragdoll" who was forced into physical combat against an adult tenfold his size alongside a peer.
The victim's mother, Heather Harris, arrived at the facility later that afternoon to find her four-year-old son crying uncontrollably. Daycare employees initially attempted to minimize the occurrence, portraying it to the parent as nothing more than a routine, isolated dispute between two classmates.
Sensing that the staff's account did not align with her son's severe emotional state, Harris insisted on reviewing the facility's security recordings. The visual evidence subsequently exposed the extent of the substitute teacher's actions and the lack of staff intervention.
Medical and psychological impacts outlined in the lawsuit include physical abrasions and bruising across the boy's arms, lingering post-traumatic headaches, and pervasive emotional trauma that has left him experiencing severe anxiety about attending childcare environments.
The legal action further claims that facility management was negligent in its staffing practices, alleging that other workers were well aware of Johnson's volatile nature. According to the complaint, the center had documented knowledge of her routine screaming and combative conduct around young children but failed to take corrective measures or remove her from the classroom.
State regulators with Texas Health and Human Services launched an independent inquiry into the Risinger campus incident, culminating in four official citations against Arka Montessori Academy for violations of childcare safety standards. The regulatory penalties cited the facility for improper disciplinary measures, using prohibited physical punishments involving grabbing and pulling, utilizing prohibited humiliating practices such as screaming and rejection, and failing to demonstrate caregiver competence, sound judgment, and personal self-control.
Representatives for Arka Montessori Academy have not issued a formal response to requests for comment regarding the pending litigation or the state regulatory findings.
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