A Los Angeles daycare has come under fire after a staff member was caught on camera throwing a shoe at a special needs student, hitting her on the ear.
Surveillance footage from January 16 showed the Destiny Development Center teacher, identified as only Ms. Emily, taking off her shoe and throwing it across the classroom towards the five-year-old girl, named Beautyful.
The shoe struck the girl as she began to cry.
'I'm so sorry I didn't mean to hit you,' the staff member, Ms. Emily seemed to say as she walked toward Beautyful.
Two other teachers watched in the background. One appeared to be laughing at the exchange as another tidied up behind her.
Neither reported the incident.
Beautyful's mom, Michelae Jones, told KTLA she'd sent her daughters to the daycare for three years.
'I really thought my baby was safe with them,' she said.
A teacher at Destiny Development Center was fired after reportedly hitting a student with a shoe
Beautyful's mother Michelae Jones had been sending her daughters to the daycare for three years
Daycare Director Danielle Williams said the teacher and two other bystanders were fired following the incident
Beautyful's aunt, Kira Townsend, questioned why the family had to report the incident themselves.
'Why do I have to wait for my niece to come and tell us: "Hey, my teacher hit me in the ear with a shoe"?' she said to KTLA.
Two weeks after the family brought the matter to the center's director, Jones was able to review the surveillance footage, confirming her daughter's allegations.
Jones has called for Ms. Emily to be arrested for assault and child abuse.
Danielle Williams, the daycare's director, apologized for the incident in a statement on Facebook, saying they'd never had something like this happen before.
'When we hire staff, we cannot predict that there may be a day when they decide to abuse a child...' she said.
Staff reportedly undergo a rigorous screening process, which includes background checks, FBI index and training.
Williams said Ms. Emily had never exhibited behaviors to suggest she would hurt a student.
'We do not stand for abuse and neglect of a child of any kind. All staff have been terminated that were involved,' Jones said.
Beautyful's aunt Kira Townsend questioned why they had to hear about the incident from the girl instead of the school
Staff at the Destiny Development Center reportedly undergo rigorous background checks before being hired
Williams allegedly told Jones that the staff member struck the child by accident, while 'throwing shoes into another room that weren’t supposed to be there.'
In a since-deleted Instagram post, Jones questioned whether this was an isolated incident.
'At this time, I am uncertain whether this was the first incident, as there have been prior occasions when Beautyful returned home and reported that Ms. Emily had harmed her,' she wrote.
The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department confirmed to Fox 11 that an investigation has been opened, but no arrests have been made.
The Daily Mail contacted the Destiny Development Center and the Los Angeles County Police for more information.
