Florida licensed day care teacher taped mouths, locked in closets, put hot sauce in mouths to punish

[madfloridian]

Other persons working at the day care knew of these actions but did not report them to the DCF because the owner said to report to her. They MUST report it to DCF. I once had a principal get cross with me because I called DCF on an abuse case before talking to her.

She said it helped her prepare to handle it. I told her the law was the law, that I had to go straight to the hotline. The principal made it unpleasant for me until DCF had a chat with her. It is illegal not to call straight to DCF. It was a good call, and the principal had tried to interfere. The social worker said real trouble was going on there, and a tragedy was averted.

Day Care Faces Penalties

The day care is licensed for 89 children since 2004, but it just does not look large enough for that many.


Ernst Peters | The Ledger Colors R Us Chlid Development Center

A Lakeland day care faces sanctions for failing to report suspicions that a teacher was taping the mouths of children in her care, locking them in a closet and dispensing hot sauce to cure ill behavior. The issue came to light June 1 after the department received a complaint about the abuse going on at Colors R Us, which is licensed for 89 children and has been in business since 2004. The person filing the complaint told DCF that staff were failing to notify the state's abuse hotline, as the law requires.

On June 2, investigators interviewed staff, reviewed records and discovered numerous violations and concerns, including potential safety hazards, state records show. They include:

Staff were not within sight and hearing of all children during nap time.

A sleeping infant lay in a crib with one of its sides down, and the child's head was covered with a blanket.

One of two designated fire exit doors could not be opened.

Cleaning supplies, knives and sharp tools were within reach of children.

Teacher/student ratios were out of compliance.

Bedding was unsafe and unsanitary.

Cribs under recall for safety concerns were in use.

Posted menus did not match the food being served.

Rooms were extremely warm, with temperatures of 89 degrees.

That teacher, Audrey Smith, has since been dismissed from her position at Colors R Us Child Development Center, 1533 Kennedy Blvd., and center owner Sherrian Strong has removed herself as director, state child-welfare officials said.

Rooms of 89 degrees? That is really scary.

[BlooInBloo]

1. (facepalm) Poor kids.

[madfloridian]

5. Yes, many so little and helpless.

hot sauce in the mouth? Terrible.

[Occulus]

7. If she'd wanted something nasty tasting but harmless, she'd have used

lemon juice or vinegar. Hot sauce is just sadistic.

I really hate to say it, but that day care center looks like someone doesn't care, and it's not the parents or the kids at fault there....

[madfloridian]

9. It doesn't look very cared for.

There was more on TV about it, and it did not look very kept up.

[Speck Tater]

2. Sounbds like the nuns I had for teachers in Catholic school in the 1950's. nt

[madfloridian]

10. Really that bad?

I heard they were strict.

[Speck Tater]

11. Locked in a closet - yes. Knuckles bashed with ruler - yes. Yes, they WERE that bad. nt

[madfloridian]

12. I did not realize that.

I remember once having a 2nd grade teacher hit my hand with a ruler. It never happened again, because the teacher punished the wrong kid.

There was a phase in special ed here in FL that their teachers could confine children in large containers for time out. It used to alarm me, and I think they are not doing that now.

[Speck Tater]

13. Catholic schools in the 1950's were straight out of the Inquisition.

I was slapped, knuckle bashed, locked in a coat closet, spanked, shaken, forbidden to eat my lunch, ridiculed in front of my class and other classes, ridiculed and humiliated in church in front of the whole school. And I was not the exception, nor was I particularly a trouble maker. That was just standard, everyday punishment for anyone who had the gall to step out of line.

And these were the same nuns who told me, with a straight face, that the sun went around the earth. I swear to God, they tried to tell me that! In 1952. Is it any wonder I left the Catholic church and became an atheist? Religion is never anything but pure evil.

[madfloridian]

15. I did not realize that.

That's pretty scary.

[Liberal_in_LA]

3. How do parents not know this was going on?

[madfloridian]

4. You are right. How could they not know? 89 degrees inside?

Did they not go into the building?

[Odin2005]

6. OMG that's terrible!

I work at a day-care/preschool and nobody would ever dare such pull such evil, abusive crap there! :cry:

[madfloridian]

8. It is awful.

And more awful that the others did not tell. 89 degrees? That's nuts here in Florida. Hot sauce? The owner says report to her and not DCF....that is against the law.

[ddeclue]

14. Umm can we put her on the teabaggers at healthcare meetings ASAP?

:P

[madfloridian]

16. Now there's an idea.

:hi:

[madfloridian]

17. Dupe

[ccharles000]

18. poor kids