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 5/11/2022 I completed an onsite inspection and interviewed Josh Perrin, building manager. Mr. Perrin explained the center had a half day and the child care staff members were gone for the day but he is aware of the situation that resulted in the investigation. Mr. Perrin said he was informed that a witness saw 611 W. OTTAWA • P.O. BOX 30664 • LANSING, MICHIGAN 48909 www.michigan.gov/lara • 517-335-1980 child care staff member Jamie Sandahl take her grandchild (Child A) who is enrolled in a different classroom onto the playground on 5/9/2022 and spank Child A on the buttocks several times. Mr. Perrin said Ms. Sandahl denied doing this. Mr. Perrin said he spoke to Child A's mother, and she was very hostile to him about the situation, using profanity and claiming she was the one who came into the school and spanked Child A. Mr. Perrin said there is no record of Child A's mother entering the center and the doors are always locked. A staff member sits at the front desk and hits a button to allow people to enter the building. They then have all visitors sign in and give the reason for their entrance into the building. Child A's mother did not sign in and no one recalls allowing her into the building. There is record of Child A being signed out for the day on 5/9/2022. Mr. Perrin explained that Child A has known behavior problems and often times Ms. Sandahl is called from her classroom to help calm Child A down and on 5/9/2022 Child A was having behavior issues that resulted in Ms. Sandahl being called out of the classroom to help. Child A continued to struggle with behaviors and Child A's mother was called to pick Child A up. I reviewed the discipline policy and it states that only redirection and positive discipline approaches are to be used. On 5/11/2022 I completed an interview with the reporting person. They stated that they directly witnessed Ms. Sandahl bring Child A onto the playground from inside the school and spank Child A on the buttocks to a degree that made the reporting person uncomfortable. The reporting person said they immediately looked away because it made them uncomfortable, and they thought all that night about whether or not it should be reported. On 5/12/2022 I interviewed program director Shelley Ellis. Ms. Ellis was informed of the investigation. She reported that she did not witness this incident. She said she has never had any concerns with Ms. Sandahl as a child care staff member. Ms. Ellis did state that at times Ms. Sandahl is called into Child A's classroom to help with Child A. That classroom has multiple children with behavior issues enrolled and at times it becomes too much for the child care staff members so they do call in Ms. Sandahl to deal with Child A. I conducted phone interviews with Child A's mother, Child B's mother and Child C's mother on 5/16/2022. Child A's mother was extremely hostile throughout the interview and eventually hung up on me. She stated "This whole thing is fucking stupid, I am the one who beat (Child A's) ass, and I can beat my kids ass whenever and wherever I want to. I am not scared of CPS, no one can tell me I can't beat my kids ass" I asked Child A's mother where she spanked her child, and she said on the playground but did not give an exact location. She would not elaborate on what "beat my child's ass" meant other than to say "I means exactly what I said, I beat her fucking ass." Child A's mother said she was able to walk into the school without signing in or being buzzed in, but she was called to pick Child A. She said that she was called to pick Child A up because she was "acting up and I ain't going to be having kids that act that way in school so I beat her ass like I said and you aint going to tell me I can't" I informed Child A's mother that it is not appropriate to physically 611 W. OTTAWA. P.O. BOX 30664. LANSING, MICHIGAN 48909 www.michigan.gov/lara . 517-335-1980 discipline her child on school grounds and she told me to "fuck off' and hung up. Child B's

Open Not marked corrected in the state record

Category: recordkeeping. Open / not marked corrected.