Preschool Teacher Fired After Abuse Allegations

A Granada Hills Montessori Preschool teacher was fired after multiple abuse allegations surfaced, including duct-taping the mouths of students and using physical punishments.

Parents and others involved with the school had no idea about what was happening inside Classroom A until the administration sent them a letter announcing the termination of their teacher. The letter stated that the school fired the teacher and two other aides that helped in the classroom as well on July 3.

"We do not condone any form of abusive behavior and took immediate action upon learning of the allegations against her," said the administration.

The school also stated that they took immediate action and began investigating after complaints surfaced of “non traditional methods” used in the classroom. However, many parents insist that the abuse had been going on for much longer.

A parent named Valentina claimed that she had to pull her four-year-old son out of the school two months ago for behavioral issues. With the new information coming to light, however, Valentina now believes that he was acting in self-defense.

“​​Every time I will mention daycare, you can see he's scared," Valentina said.

She also said that her son came home with a slightly blue ear one day, saying that his teacher pulled his ear and tied them up.

"As a parent, it was very, very difficult to realize your kid is a victim of abuse," Valentina said.

Parents Melissa Gutierrez and Cleve Mcwright said that their five-year-old twins also described similar abuse in the classroom. After the school sent the formal letter, the parents asked their children if they experienced anything similar. The twins told them that their teacher would slap and pull their hair if they did not remember their numbers or to zip up their jackets.

“They witnessed one of their classmates being duct-taped for speaking too much," Gutierrez said. "Then also duct-taped to his cot to not get up for nap time."

The school stated that they self-reported the complaints to the Department of Social Services, Community Care Licensing. The Department of Social Service says that they are further investigating the issue. Several parents are looking into taking legal action against the teacher and administration.

"We don't trust a soul near our children anymore," Gutierrez said. "It's heartbreaking."