A family is in search of a new daycare after an employee allegedly put a 4-year-old boy in a garbage can because he refused to take a nap.
The child’s mom, Monica Forte, opened up about the alleged Jan. 13 incident to ABC 7 Chicago, telling the outlet that she “had no words” — “especially” when she first saw the surveillance footage from The Learning Lab in Homewood, Ill.
The shocking video, which was shared by ABC 7, shows an employee at the Homewood preschool dragging Grayson, the eldest of Forte’s two sons, toward a trash can by a wall and placing him inside of it.
Other children at the daycare, where both Grayson and his 2-year-old brother have been going for almost two years, meanwhile, were not only present but also appeared to watch the entire incident unfold in front of them.
“My first thing was, of course I’m crying,” Forte recalled of watching the footage for the first time. “And I immediately went to the police station.”
However, she and the boys’ father, Justin Barnes, were quickly informed that there was nothing the police could do, because their 4-year-old son had not suffered any physical injuries at the worker’s hand.
And though the Homewood daycare allegedly fired the employee who placed the child in the trash can — and another who “failed to intervene” — the parents are still concerned, especially because multiple other staff members allegedly witnessed the incident and did nothing to stop it from happening or report it after the fact.
The parents told the outlet they are grateful to Grayson for telling them, because if he hadn’t, they may never have learned what he went through. The Learning Lab, they added, should have told them before he did.
Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
When questioned about the incident, the daycare employee allegedly told Forte and Barnes that it was a joke, the parents told ABC 7. But the security footage tells a different story and has left the parents wondering how a daycare professional could have such a drastic reaction to such a common occurrence.
“If you work with kids, I mean, you have to learn,” Forte told ABC 7. “They should know how to deescalate these certain situations when they don’t want to take a nap.”
The Learning Lab did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment on Jan. 19, nor did the Village of Homewood Police Department.
In a statement to ABC 7 on Jan. 17, The Learning Lab said, “We tried to work cooperatively and transparently with the family. We are working with our licensing agency, DCFS and the Homewood police. We have shared additional information we became aware of yesterday because we believe it warranted further investigation and possible action against the person who did this.”
Forte and Barnes are now considering a civil lawsuit against the daycare and, in the meantime, are searching for a new spot for their sons, according to the Chicago outlet. They are also worried for their son’s mental wellbeing, and particularly about the lasting impact of the humiliation he experienced, because of how many people witnessed the incident.
“We just want to, you know, make sure that Grayson is aware that the situation that happened, that, you know, the helper, what she did was wrong,” Barnes told ABC 7. “What he did, he did nothing wrong.”
“It was just way worse than I could imagine,” the concerned dad added. “I’m worried about what he feels.”
Read the full article here
