You can see how the parents of a 4-year-old boy light up when they describe their youngest of two children.
“He’s into sports now, sports, basketball, anything sports, basketball, soccer, football,” Heather Harris said.
Richard Harris said his son also has a love for Michael Jackson and practicing how to moonwalk.
“He’s walking around now with his Michael Jackson glove. So, he’s just pretty awesome,” Richard Harris said.
The Harris family recently watched the movie on Michael Jackson with their two children during their home movie night together.
But the couple says there is a disturbing moment involving their son that they are still trying to make sense of. Heather says she made a surprise visit to Arka Montessori Academy of Risinger daycare in Fort Worth on April 27. She told WFAA TV in an exclusive interview that she knew something was wrong when she saw her son.
“I knew from his cry, in the look on his face, that something had happened. And from that point on, I said, I need to see the cameras,” Heather Harris said.
The family’s attorney shared surveillance video that he says shows an adult woman, described as a former employee, allegedly instigating a fight involving the 4-year-old. Heather Harris said she immediately called Richard Harris and told him what she had seen.
“I was mortified when she showed me what actually happened on the video,” Richard Harris said.
The Harrises say they trusted the daycare to care for their son and were shocked by what they said happened.
“The trust that I put in this daycare, they failed us,” Heather Harris said.
The couple says they believed they had done their homework before choosing the daycare.
“Education was big; it was clean. Arka, we thought we hit gold with Arka,” Richard Harris said. Richard shared with WFAA TV that they even allowed their son to do a half day at the daycare to see how he would respond to the new facility, after changing his daycare based on location, after-school care, and their busy work schedules. The 24-7 cameras inside the daycare day rooms, the couple says, also played a huge role in their decision.
The family attorney has filed a lawsuit alleging a teacher encouraged her own son to continue attacking the 4-year-old and then shook the child before physically causing him to fall.
“This place looked like a child fight club. It felt like one. This kid was thrown around like a human rag doll by somebody that was supposed to protect him,” attorney Russell T. Button said, “When you speak up, when you bring these things to light, it helps hold everyone accountable, and that makes other daycares take notice. That makes them change their ways, become safer. So, working parents have a place to send their kids.”
The Button Law Firm is a Texas personal injury law firm that represents people and families in cases involving serious injuries, wrongful death, and other harm caused by negligence. The firm is representing the Harris family in the lawsuit involving the Fort Worth daycare.
WFAA called the daycare for comment on the lawsuit. An employee said the daycare had no comment and asked that the director be contacted by email.
Online state records show the daycare had no deficiencies during an August 20, 2026, inspection. However, state records show 21 deficiencies at the facility since January 2024, including deficiencies involving health and safety risks for children.
“Everything that glitters isn’t gold, and that facility was one of them,” Heather Harris said.
Parents who want to learn more about a daycare can find inspection details at the Texas Health and Human Services website.