XPost: mn.politics, alt.childcare, alt.fan.rush-limbaugh
XPost: sac.politics, talk.politics.guns

At the Lil Explorers Daycare in Plymouth, a teacher in a class of toddlers
is seen yelling at kids and roughly handling them.

ôGet up, put those toys away now!ö she shouts at the youngsters. ôI donÆt
care; sit down; you are not listening.ö

ôShe was just super upset,ö recalled Yanni Thomas, a former assistant
teacher. ôShe definitely was unhinged and was out of control.ö

As KSTP reported Friday, the daycareÆs owners say the people involved are
no longer employed there.

An investigation into allegations of mistreatment at the daycare is now underway, but the facility still has its license.

Meanwhile, at a home-based daycare in South St. Paul, a little boy ingests
a substance in a bathroom.

A drug test reveals the child had high levels of amphetamines and methamphetamines in his system.

ôA 3-year-old should not ingest meth,ö declared Victoria Kane, the boyÆs mother.

That daycareÆs license is currently suspended, with the Minnesota
Department of Human Services saying thereÆs an æimminent risk of harm.Æ

South St. Paul Police say the case is now in the hands of Lakeville
authorities due to a possible æconflict of interestÆ ù the daycare is
licensed to a public official.

ôItÆs horrifying,ö said Representative Nolan West (R-Blaine).

After incidents like these, he has an idea.

ôRequiring daycare centers to have cameras in areas of toddlers and
infants,ö West explained. ôOnce theyÆre older than that, a child might be
able to tell you whatÆs going on.ö

In the Plymouth case, Thomas, 18, posted videos of what was happening on
the internet after reporting her concerns to the daycare director five
times with no results.

Representative Dave Pinto (DFL-St. Paul) says he saw that video and is concerned.

ôWe want to make sure every child is safe and is thriving,ö he said. ôCertainly, itÆs a concerning and distressing thing to see what was going
on in that classroom.ö

ôWhat we see in Plymouth, too, thatÆs more video, thatÆs how you hold
people accountable,ö West added.

For the Blaine Republican lawmaker, this is personal.

His daughter Sibyl is one of several alleged victims of child abuse at the Small World Learning Center in Blaine.

Police say two former staffers face court hearings on assault of a child
and other charges.

Investigators say in one case, an infantÆs leg was broken.

ôAs a new parent, we didnÆt really understand, our baby had some bruises,
but you know, kids get bruises, no thatÆs not true,ö West noted. ôKids get bruises, but immobile young infants should not be getting bruises, and
thatÆs one of the things IÆm actually working to educate people on.ö

Then thereÆs Janice DeGonga.

She said last summer, her now 1-year-old daughter, also at Small World
Learning Center, kept coming home with bruises.

ôShe kept having bruises,ö she recalled. ôThey kept saying they were
having issues feeding her.ö

After she brought her child to the hospital, staffers there called police,
who launched an investigation.

She also believes itÆs a good idea to have cameras inside daycares ù
including for training purposes.

ôI absolutely believe that daycares need to have footage and keep it for
much longer,ö she explained. ôTo see exactly what is going on that could
be causing these marks, especially if itÆs just an accident and it doesnÆt
turn out to be automatic child abuse.ö

West is proposing that any video records be held for 90 days.

He says that the Small World Learning Center had cameras but only kept the video for a week.

West is also calling for a one-year mandatory sentence for those convicted
of malicious treatment of a child.

He also hopes pamphlets explaining signs of child abuse can be distributed
to Minnesota hospitals to help educate new parents.

ôWe have a lot of issues around abuse in daycare settings,ö he said. ôWhat makes it worse is 99.9% of the daycare employees are wonderful people, and
itÆs such a small sliver, but itÆs still something we canÆt tolerate with
our kids.ö

https://kstp.com/kstp-news/top-news/its-horrifying-minnesota-lawmaker- proposes-having-cameras-in-daycares-after-recent-allegations/

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