A teacher at an Overland Park daycare assaulted a 13-month-old by shoving a spoon into the back of her throat, a lawsuit filed by the child’s mother alleges.
The lawsuit, filed Friday in Johnson County District Court, brings allegations of neglect and assault against the Goddard School of Overland Park and a teacher, accusing supervisors of letting abuse continue even after they knew it was happening.
The lawsuit names as defendants Allen Preschool, LLC, the Goddard School, curriculum director Lynsey Wray-Schmidt and teacher Athena Whitt.
Shazia Ali, listed as the director of the school, declined to comment when reached by phone Wednesday.
Peter Goss, an attorney for the child and her mother, told The Star what happened to his client is a shame.
“It’s really sad that the parents of this young child trusted the individuals at the daycare center to take care of their daughter and treat her as if she was their own and they failed to do that,” Goss said.
The child was enrolled in the preschool from the spring of 2019 to October, the lawsuit says.
According to an archived version of the school’s website, Whitt was an assistant teacher in the infant classroom. That page cites her previous experience with children as homeschooling her four kids from kindergarten to fifth grade and volunteering in her church’s nursery. At the time of her employment, Whitt was considering “pursuing a career in Early Childhood Education.”
Wray-Schmidt, the lawsuit says, supervised Whitt.
The lawsuit alleges that, in addition to shoving a spoon into the back of the child’s throat, she also repeatedly held her hands down, pounded on her back, aggressively jerked her and force-fed her.
During the several months the child attended Goddard, Wray-Schmidt allegedly was told several times of Whitt’s actions and never did anything to stop it. She never removed the child from the situation or fired Whitt, the lawsuit says.
Whitt is no longer listed on the school’s faculty page, though it’s not clear when the change occurred or if she may still be employed there.
“They failed to take preventative steps once the employees of the daycare center knew the abuse was occurring,” Goss said.
The lawsuit, which accuses Whitt of assault and battery, says the child has suffered physical and emotional injuries, has been damaged, and that her injuries are continuing.
It asks for a jury trial and at least $75,000 in damages.
Goss previously represented four families whose children went to Emporia State University’s Center for Early Childhood Education, he told The Star, with the verdict in favor of his clients. That case also involved allegations of abuse by a teacher and a failure to supervise, he said.
“I think people should know that when sending their kids to any daycare that they need to pay very close attention to the supervisors and directors,” Goss said. “And if they see any signs of any abuse, they need to report it right away.”