EAST CLEVELAND, Ohio — Jovan Reese said her worst fear came true on April 25 when her 4-year-old son, Arrison, told her that one of his teachers at George L. Forbes Early Learning Center in East Cleveland slapped him in the face.
“This was the biggest, biggest pain my family has ever, ever conquered,” Reese said.
Reese said she enrolled her son in the learning center after seeing other families' success with the program operated by the nonprofit Step Forward.
“It was a good facility- never heard anything bad,” she said.
On April 25, she said a simple question asked after the school day brought words she never expected to hear.
"I'm sitting at the kitchen table and he [Arrison] walks past me, and I see this red mark on his face. And I say, ‘Well, son, where did you get that mark from?’ And he said, ‘Ms. Bryant slapped me,” Reese said.
“As a mother, hearing your 4-year-old say that, what's going through your mind?” I asked.
“It broke my heart,” Reese said. “It broke my heart. My 4-year-old baby… I take him there to learn, to get nourishment, not just to help me to be able to make my day and go to work and be fine, but I'm thinking in a safe place.”
Reese said that when she contacted the school about what her son reported, she got differing explanations about what had happened. She said it went from her son getting into an altercation with another student to Bryant wiping his face.
She immediately filed a police report and took Arrison to his pediatrician, who noted a small two-centimeter red scratch on the right side of his nose on his right cheek and no significant bruising on his face.
"My baby don't sleep at night good. He's had nightmares due to this. He's wetting the bed now,” Reese said. “His behavior is off balance."
This week, the East Cleveland Prosecutor’s Office charged 35-year-old India Bryant with assault, a first-degree misdemeanor.
An arrest warrant states Bryant “knowing did cause physical harm” to Arrison “by striking him in the face with an open hand, leaving a mark on his face.”
Step Forward, which operates several Head Start programs in the area, told News 5 that Bryant hasn’t been in the classroom since the alleged incident, and termination has been recommended. Step Forward said that because it receives federal funding, a process must play out, including Head Start’s Policy Council approving the recommendation to terminate employment.
Step Forward added, “We are saddened by the recent allegations at one of our Head Start centers. We want to express our sincerest apologies for any distress or concern this may have caused. Step Forward takes these allegations very seriously and we are addressing them according to our agency policies and procedures.
Step Forward has a zero-tolerance policy for any form of aggression toward children at any of our centers, and the safety and well-being of the children in our care are of top priority. We are committed to providing a safe, nurturing, and supportive environment for all children in our programs. We will continue to work diligently to ensure that our centers are places where children can learn, grow, and thrive.”
“What do you hope the lesson is?” I asked Reese.
She said, “When working with kids please let that be your field. Let that be something you love to do. Let that be something that you love- to nurture babies not hurt them."
Reese said she’s working to get therapy for her son.
She still has questions and wants to see a video from the classroom on April 25. She said staff recently told her that the video only shows Bryant taking her son into a blind spot and doesn’t show any altercation with another student.
“It's just not just justice for my baby,” Reese said. “She don't need to be when nobody's babies.”
The Ohio Department of Children and Youth told News 5 it’s jointing investigation of the assault allegation involving George L. Forbes Early Learning Center along with the Cuyahoga County Children and Family Services.
The Ohio Department of Children and Youth said in terms of investigations, they involve interviews, review of documentation, and observation. It said if allegations are determined to be non-compliant, corrective action plan procedures would be followed.
They offered the following resources to parents.
- Childcare Inspection Reports
- Report Child Abuse and Neglect
- Report complaints regarding licensing rules or misuse of Publicly Funded Child Care benefits
