591-1-1-.11(2) · Rule 591-1-1-.11(2) requires that personnel shall not: physically or sexually abuse a child or engage or permit others to engage in sexually overt conduct in the presence of any child enrolled in the center; inflict corporal/physical punishment upon a child; shake, jerk, pinch or handle a child roughly; verbally abuse or humiliate a child which includes, but is not limited to, the use of threats, profanity or belittling remarks about a child or his family; isolate a child in a dark room, closet or unsupervised area; use mechanical or physical restraints or devices to discipline children; use medication to discipline or control children's behavior without written medical authorization issued by a licensed professional and given with the parent's written consent; restrict unreasonably a child from going to the bathroom; punish toileting accidents; force-feed a child or withhold feeding a child regularly scheduled meals and/or snacks; force or withhold naps; allow children to discipline or humiliate other children; or confine a child for disciplinary purposes to a swing, highchair, infant carrier, walker or jump seat.

During an investigation, it was determined that on December 10, 2024, a staff person inappropriately disciplined a two-year-old child when the child would not stay on their cot at naptime. There were 8 two-year-old children and one staff member in the classroom. Video footage revealed the staff member was leaning over the children and adjusting their blankets during naptime. After adjusting the children’s blankets, the staff person walked away, and the two-year-old child got up from their cot and followed the staff person. This occurred multiple times, and the staff member grabbed the two-year-old child by their right arm and walked the child back to their cot and pushed the child down onto the cot. After several instances of the staff person returning the two-year-old child to their cot, the staff person notified the center director that the child had a mark on their forehead and provided a picture, indicating the bruise may have been there upon the child’s arrival. Upon notification of the injury, center management examined the two-year-old child and discovered that in addition to an abrasion on their forehead, the child had fingerprint marks on their right leg, and right arm. The child required professional medical attention as a result of the incident.