Rule 591-1-1-.31(13) requires Compliance with Applicable Laws and Regulations. Center Staff shall not commit any criminal act, as defined under Georgia law, in the presence of any child enrolled in the Center. Center staff shall comply with all applicable laws and regulations.

During an investigation, it was determined that on October 15, 2024, at 3:00 p.m., a staff member inappropriately disciplined a three-year-old child while in the classroom. The staff member engaged in criminal acts in the presence of children while at the center. The staff member aggressively grabbed and pulled the child’s right arm. The staff member was arrested and charged with Cruelty to Children first- degree and Battery on October 16, 2024.

591-1-1-.31(13) · Correction status not published

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.