A teacher’s assistant at an Inglewood daycare was fired after a video surfaced of her hitting a 5-year-old girl with autism named Beautiful by throwing a shoe at her during a nap, the school confirmed.
The incident took place on January 9 at the Destiny Development Center. Video footage shows Beautiful crawling off her mat in the classroom, while the assistant takes off her shoe and throws it across the room.
“I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to do it,” the assistant said in the footage.
Danielle Williams, the center’s director, said the assistant claimed she only intended to scare the child, not hit her.
“The teacher said she threw the shoe, but it was an accident. My mom said, Why would they throw shoes at school? I said, You’re right. So as a result, she’s not here,” Williams said.
Williams said she began the investigation after Beautiful’s mother requested a review of the incident that occurred at the school. She spoke to other adults in the room, including a second assistant and a teacher, who initially did not remember the incident, but in a written statement their stories changed.
“I said, well, shoes shouldn’t have been thrown in the school in the first place. And you guys didn’t report it to me,” Williams said.
After reviewing footage from the school’s 26 cameras, Williams said all three staff members involved were fired.
“It’s not a representation of what my school is. It’s not a representation of what we stand for,” Williams said.
In a statement, Beautiful’s mother wrote, “I am shocked and appalled that my innocent baby was harmed and humiliated in front of everyone. This teacher should not only be fired immediately, but criminally charged for child abuse.” She said she wants justice for her daughter.
Williams said she also reported the incident to the relevant licensing authority as required, and they in turn received a violation notice.
Beautiful’s family has declined an interview, but they will hold a press conference outside the school Friday afternoon.
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