A Fort Worth family has initiated a $1 million civil lawsuit against Arka Montessori Academy, alleging that an employee fostered a "child fight club" atmosphere and physically assaulted their 4-year-old son under the guise of classroom discipline.
The legal action, filed on September 4 in Tarrant County, seeks financial compensation for severe physical, emotional, and psychological trauma suffered by the child, who is identified in legal records as U.H. The case centers on an incident that occurred on April 27 at the academy's Risinger campus in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.
According to court filings submitted by the Dallas-based Button Law Firm, the confrontation unfolded in the late afternoon after U.H. was transferred into a consolidated classroom as instructors prepared to finish their work shifts. The lawsuit identifies the key figures involved as U.H., a fellow classmate, and that classmate's mother, Chynia Johnson, who was working at the center as a substitute teacher.
The complaint states that the initial conflict began when Johnson’s son struck U.H. in the back while the room's primary teacher, Jacqueline De Luna, had her attention directed elsewhere. De Luna subsequently informed investigators that Johnson entered the space and actively encouraged her son to persist with the physical aggression rather than separating the children.
Following his mother's promptings, Johnson’s son reportedly charged at U.H. and shoved him forcefully in the chest. During this exchange, the lawsuit alleges that Johnson intervened not to calm the situation, but to grab U.H.’s arm aggressively, shake the child, and forcefully shove him away.
Court documents indicate that Johnson continued to speak with her child, prompting him to launch a third physical charge at U.H. Faced with the oncoming assault, the 4-year-old extended his arms and legs in self-defense, which caused Johnson’s son to lose his balance and fall to the classroom floor.
The petition states that Johnson immediately escalated her actions in response to her son falling. She reportedly lunged at U.H., seized him by both of his arms, shook him violently, and yelled directly into his face. As the frightened 4-year-old attempted to pull away from her grip, Johnson grabbed her own son and hauled him back so the two children were positioned face-to-face once again.
Witness statements referenced in the lawsuit highlight the severity of the substitute teacher's directives. De Luna informed state investigators that she distinctly heard Johnson ordering her young son to kick and strike U.H. during the confrontation.
The assault culminated when Johnson, while maintaining a grip on U.H.’s wrist, reached down, pulled his leg out from beneath him, and caused the toddler to slam directly onto the facility's hard wooden floor. Recorded footage cited in the complaint indicates that De Luna stood by and witnessed the unfolding violence without intervening to protect the student.
The complaint sharply criticizes the facility's handling of the situation, stating that Arka Montessori treated the 4-year-old like a human ragdoll who was forced to defend himself against both a peer and an adult caregiver many times his size.
The child's mother, Heather Harris, arrived at the daycare center later that afternoon for pickup and found her son crying uncontrollably. While facility employees initially sought to dismiss the incident as a routine, minor scuffle between young classmates, Harris noticed immediate warning signs in her son's behavior and insisted on reviewing the facility's security surveillance recordings.
Medical and psychological impacts outlined in the lawsuit include visible bruising and scratch marks across the boy's arms, post-traumatic headaches, and ongoing emotional trauma marked by severe anxiety about attending childcare environments.
Beyond the immediate actions of the substitute teacher, the complaint accuses Arka Montessori Academy of systemic negligence. The lawsuit claims facility leadership had prior awareness of Johnson’s pattern of aggressive behavior and frequent yelling at children, yet permitted her to remain in a supervisory role with young students.
A regulatory investigation conducted by Texas Health and Human Services substantiated multiple infractions, resulting in four formal state citations against Arka Montessori Academy for violations of childcare safety standards. These citations encompassed improper methods of discipline, prohibited punishments involving grabbing and pulling, prohibited punishments involving humiliation, rejection, and yelling, and a fundamental failure by staff to exhibit professional competence, sound judgment, and self-control.
The legal filing emphasizes that parents place trust in childcare providers under the expectation that their children will remain safe from physical force, verbal humiliation, and coerced fighting. Arka Montessori Academy, which operates 11 campuses throughout the greater Dallas metropolitan area, had not issued a formal response to the allegations at the time of reporting.
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