Parents Heather and Richard Harris are suing Fort Worth’s Arka Montessori Academy for $1 million, alleging a substitute encouraged a fight, grabbed and shoved a 4-year-old, then stood aside as her son attacked him; another teacher allegedly did not intervene.
The lawsuit’s timeline, which it says is based on security footage, places the events on April 27: another boy struck the 4-year-old, and teacher Jacqueline De Luna separated them before leaving to use the restroom; substitute Chynia Johnson then entered. The Harrises say the child’s mother arrived to find him crying hysterically and was told only that a fight had occurred.
The daycare has had 16 safety violations since opening in January 2024, according to the Texas Health and Human Services Commission’s Child-Care Licensing Division. Earlier citations included children being left unattended outside or in a classroom; no similar incident had previously been noted. No criminal charges have been filed in this case. Local media report Johnson no longer works at the daycare, and Arka had not responded to Moneywise’s request for comment.
