Astonished mother captures disturbing video of organized 'fight club' at daycare

Daycare teachers get toddlers to "fight" with boxing gloves as an activity.

Teachers at the Adventure Learning Center in St. Louis, Missouri, are being sued by a mother for organizing fights between their pre-school age charges in order to keep them entertained, reported Fox2Now.com on October 31, 2018.

The mother, Nicole Merseal, is suing the school after surveillance videos and iPad footage showed the teachers encouraging the children to punch each other.

One of the children featured in the clips is Merseal's 4-year-old son, who was punched by one of his little friends.

"He didn't understand why his best friends beat him up. These are children that he's been around for a couple years. He described them as his best friends. He just doesn't understand why they punched him in the face."

Nicole Merseal, Fox2Now.com, October 31, 2018.

PLAYING AT FIGHTS WITH "HULK HANDS"

The responsible teachers, Mickala Guliford and Tena Dailey, justified their actions by saying that the activity was meant to keep the children from getting bored after they "ran out of activities."

The teachers had the children to play with "Hulk Hands" - large, green boxing gloves - and fight each other while they watched.

THE POLICE AND THE CHILD ABUSE AND NEGLECT HOTLINE WERE CALLED

Merseal's two older sons who had witnessed the incident informed her, and she called the Police. The center's director, Jennifer Scott, called the Child Abuse and Neglect Hotline and completed an incident report as soon as she was informed of the occurrence.

St. Louis daycare ‘fight club’ caught on camera.

SEVERAL CHILDREN WERE INTERVIEWED AND CONFIRMED THE INCIDENT

One of Merseal's sons had filmed the incident on his iPad and he showed the footage to the Police. Officers interviewed several of the children who confirmed that the teachers had had them fight "lots of times."

St. Louis daycare hosted ‘Fight Club’ for preschoolers

THE TWO TEACHERS WERE FIRED IMMEDIATELY

One of the teachers, Guliford, admitted to having the children fight with the Hulk Hands as a stress release exercise. The teachers were fired from the center immediately by Scott, and both admitted to bad judgment.

Daycare ‘fight club’ caught on camera.

MERSEAL IS SUING HER SON'S SCHOOL

Child Care Regulation's report indicated that licensing rules had been violated and requested that the facility ensure proper training for the staff and age-appropriate activities for children.

Merseal considered that the center got little more than "a slap on the wrist" and is suing them for $25,000 in damages.

Merseal says that her son had difficulties in adapting to his new daycare facility, and to understand that fighting wasn't part of normal play.

MORE VIOLENCE IN DAYCARE

A 52-year-old woman has been arrested for attacking a co-worker, a parent and three babies with a kitchen knife.

The woman, who worked at an overnight child care facility went on a rampage at approximately 4 am on September 21, 2018, and attacked her coworker by stabbing her in the chest.

The woman then moved on to the babies and hurt three of them - one of which was only months old. The father of one of the babies tried to stop the woman but was stabbed in the leg.

The woman's identity has not been divulged by authorities, but Police has revealed that the victims had been transported to nearby hospitals in critical but stable condition.

The New York Police Department found the woman hiding in the basement and transported her to the hospital where she was treated for several stab wounds on one of her wrists, which they believed to have been self-inflicted.