FORT WORTH, Texas (WKRC) – A family filed a lawsuit against a daycare over alleged “fight club” allegations.
According to WFAA, a family has filed a lawsuit against Arka Montessori Academy of Risinger, a daycare located in Fort Worth, Texas, after they allegedly discovered staff members were holding a “child fight club” at the facility.
When speaking to the outlet in an exclusive interview, the mother of one of the children reportedly involved in the fights, Heather Harris, said she paid the facility a surprise visit on April 27. She said she immediately 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,” Harris told the outlet.
WFAA reported that it received surveillance video that shows an adult woman, reportedly a former employee, allegedly instigating a fight involving the 4-year-old boy. Heather Harris told the outlet she called her husband, Richard Harris, and informed him about what she had seen.
During the interview with WFAA, Richard Harris said he was “mortified” after being shown the surveillance video, with both parents telling the outlet they had placed their trust in the daycare to provide care for their child.
“The trust that I put in this daycare, they failed us,” Heather Harris told WFAA’s reporters.
The Harrises added that they believed they had done enough research on the facility and believed their son was in a safe place, adding that the facility’s 24/7 cameras inside the day rooms were a big reason they decided to choose Arka.
“Education was big; it was clean. Arka, we thought we hit gold with Arka,” Richard Harris said when speaking with WFAA.
According to the outlet, the family attorney, Russell T. Button, filed a lawsuit against the facility, alleging that a teacher had encouraged her own son to continue attacking the 4-year-old, then shook the boy 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,” Button told WFAA. “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.”
WFAA reported that online state records show Arka had no deficiencies during an inspection on Aug. 20, 2026, but had 21 deficiencies since January 2024, including some involving health and safety risks for children.