The Children's Courtyard ignored Texas daycare laws aimed to protect young
children, according to suit filed by The Button Law
Firm
AUSTIN,
Texas, July 8, 2024 /PRNewswire/ --
Alexis Dominguez, the mother of a 2-year-old boy, is suing The
Children's Courtyard, located on West William Cannon Drive,
claiming the Austin daycare center
used prohibited and cruel punishment tactics on her toddler. The
complaint states that in July 2023,
the child's father checked on the toddler during the workday via
the daycare center's live surveillance video and was shocked to see
a caregiver attempting to keep the toddler quiet during naptime by
smothering him with a blanket. The father also saw the caregiver
forcefully slapping the child's face and head repeatedly, per the
lawsuit.
Upon witnessing the toddler being harmed, the child's father
immediately left work and reported what he saw to the center's
management. However, The Children's Courtyard did not report the
incident to the state or local police as required by law, per the
complaint. The lawsuit also claims the daycare center suspended the
accused employee for only one day, then kept her on staff, despite
the clear visual evidence substantiating the parents' abuse
allegations.
"Clearly The Children's Courtyard did not value my son's safety
or express concern for his well-being," says Dominguez.
"Anyone with basic common sense understands that smothering and
hitting a child is completely unacceptable. Everything was on
camera."
Dominguez has since pulled her son out of The Children's
Courtyard.
An independent investigation into the incident
with Dominguez's son revealed the Texas Health and Human
Services Commission Child-Care Licensing Division and the Texas
Department of Family and Protective Services substantiated the
allegations, and cited The Children's Courtyard for five
violations, including physical abuse of a child, using prohibited
punishment tactics, allowing a caregiver who posed a risk to a
child's safety to remain with children for additional time, and
failing to report the incident. A deeper dive into the daycare
center's records revealed the daycare center received 56 separate
safety violations from June 2019
through May 2024, 10 months following
the abuse experienced by Dominguez's son.
"The serious safety issues at The Children's Courtyard are full
of alarm bells and red flags," says Dominguez's daycare injury
lawyer Russell Button of The Button
Law Firm. "It is clear this daycare center does not prioritize
child safety based on the treatment of our client's child and this
facility's track record. Abuse accusations at any daycare center
should be taken seriously, and centers should employ caregivers who
comply with the clear procedures required by law to protect
children under their watch."
The case is Alexis
Dominguez, Individually and as parent and next friend of
L.D., a minor child, vs. W.O.S., Inc. d/b/a The Children's
Courtyard, Inc., Cause No. D-1-GN24-004072 in the 53rd Civil
District Court of Travis County,
Texas. A copy of the complaint can be accessed here.
About The Button Law Firm
The Button Law Firm
(buttonlawfirm.com) is a Texas-based personal injury law firm that
advocates for children and their families in meaningful litigation
to make local communities safer. The firm focuses on daycare and
child-related injuries such as abuse and neglect cases, bottle
warmer burns, traumatic brain injuries, and catastrophic injuries.
With attorneys in Dallas,
Houston, and Midland, The Button Law Firm helps families
move forward across the Lone Star State.
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SOURCE The Button Law Firm