Fort Worth parents say a daycare teacher encouraged a “fight club” between 4-year-olds, and the family is now suing Arka Montessori Academy for $1M. Heather and Richard Harris say their son was crying when they picked him up, and they believe what happened next was far more serious than staff first explained. A lawsuit filed Sept. 4 says surveillance footage appears to show a teacher grabbing, shaking and dragging the boy while another child hit and kicked him. The filing says another teacher watched without intervening, and the Harrises say their son was later bruised, scratched and left with post-traumatic headaches. The family says the teacher restrained and threw their son to the floor, then encouraged children to keep fighting. Their attorney called it a case where a classroom looked like a child fight club, and the Harris family says their son became anxious, afraid of being alone and distressed by loud noises and raised voices. State investigators cited Arka Montessori for four violations tied to the incident, including improper discipline, prohibited punishments, yelling at a child and failing to intervene. The filing also says the facility had 16 earlier citations since its permit in January 2024, including supervision, training, CPR and first-aid, and safety record problems.
