• Violation

  R 400.8140 · R 400.8140 Discipline. (2) All of the following means of punishment are prohibited: (a) Hitting, spanking, shaking, biting, pinching, or inflicting other forms of corporal punishment.

  On 4/28122. notified me that there was an incident at Escanaba Country Schoolhouse that would be investigated. The allegation was that Child A had been hit by a child care staff member there. Child A told MHM about the incident on 4127/22 when he was tucking her into bed. MHM then told On 4/28122, 1 made an unannounced visit to the center and spoke to program director Amber Young. I asked her if there were video surveillance cameras at the center and she said there were not. I explained the allegation and Ms. Young said that Ms. Hickman is the preschool (GSRP) child care staff member for four-year-olds and her aide is Olivia Vogelman. Ms. Young said that Child A is not in Ms. Hickman's class but is with her sometimes when children of different ages are combined early in the morning and when they are outdoors on the playground at about 10:30am. Ms. Young said that if the incident was on 4/26/22, Child A's last day, she was the one working in the morning with Ms. Hickman from 6:30am to 8:30am. Ms. Vogelman arrived to work with Ms. Hickman at 8:30am. From 6:30am to 8:30am, Ms. Young said she did not observe anything inappropriate between Child A and Ms. Hickman. At about 8:45am, Child A returned to her regular child care staff member, Cathy Bitters. Ms. Young said that Child A's last day at the center had already been prearranged for 4/26/22. She was scheduled to start in a Head Start classroom on 4/27/22. On 4,28/22, Ms. Young called to let me know that she had received a telephone call from Child A's Guardian. Child A's Guardian told her that Child A said that Ms. Hickman threw a book at her. Ica On 5/3/22, I made a second visit to the center R Ms. Hickman was interviewed in person at this time. Ms. Hickman said atwwhen there is a noticeable injury to a child, an incident report is completed. Ms. Hickman was asked if there has ever been an incident where she has caused the injury to a student or threw a book at them. She stated "no". Ms. Hickman was asked if she knew Child A. Ms. Hickman stated that Child A's last day was 4/26 and that she remembers her coming around to give hugs to all the child care staff members when she left. She said that Child A was not a student in her classroom but that she had been her caregiver in the mornings for a few hours before going to her regular child care staff member's room. Ms. Hickman said that there were days that Child A would fuss and have separation issues, which was normal for children her age. Sometimes she or another child care staff member would sit in the rocking chair with Child A and read books to help comfort her. Ms. Hickman was asked if she knew of another student at the facility named'______ Ms. Hickman stated there was a student that went to the child care named and that she had not been there for a while. Ms. Hickman said that she does not recall any significant incidents between herself and - or between. and Child A.

On 4127/22, Child A year-old female) told Minor Household Member (MHM) that a child care sta member at the center, Rosemary Hickman, hit her in the eye. Child A did not say when this took place.

Disposition: Substantiated

Disposition: Substantiated