Lawsuit: Montessori School Endangered North Texas Toddler Left Alone in Dark Classroom

Suit filed by The Button Law Firm claims Pinnacle Montessori of Melissa violated multiple childcare laws by isolating unsupervised toddler

MELISSA, Texas, July 31, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- In March 2022, North Texas parents Rick and Jessica Henderson were shocked to discover the school they trusted to protect their toddler had let them down. When Rick went to pick up their 2-year-old son from Pinnacle Montessori of Melissa, he found the child crying alone in the corner of a dark classroom. The family is now suing the school claiming that the facility and its workers violated multiple childcare laws and endangered their young son by leaving him unsupervised and isolated from his classmates for an inappropriately long period of time for a child.

The complaint states that Pinnacle Montessori of Melissa positions itself as a safe and nurturing school for children. However, the school failed to deliver on its safety promises when surveillance cameras captured a caregiver letting other children out of a classroom but pulling the Hendersons' toddler aside by the arm and placing him in a corner behind a door, as alleged in the suit. The complaint continues that the Pinnacle Montessori worker then purposely turned off the lights, traumatizing the boy by leaving him in the dark classroom alone without a caregiver or teacher watching him.

The State of Texas Department of Family and Protective Services conducted an independent investigation that substantiated the Hendersons' allegations. The state agency found the facility violated childcare licensing rules regarding the proper supervision of a child and appropriate discipline tactics when they separated the toddler from his classmates and teachers for longer than the required two minutes based on his age.

"Pinnacle Montessori of Melissa's decision to leave a toddler alone in a dark room is simply reckless behavior—toddlers are notorious for getting into things even when closely supervised," says the Hendersons' attorney, Russell Button of The Button Law Firm. "I don't want to think about what could have happened if Rick had arrived just a few minutes later to pick up their son."

The case is Rick Henderson and Jessica Henderson, Individually and as Next Friends of W.H., a minor child, vs. Enlightened Beginnings, LLC, d/b/a Pinnacle Montessori of Melissa, Cause No. 429-003995-2023 in the District Court of Collin 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, finger injuries, toy-related injuries, and catastrophic injuries. With attorneys in Dallas, Houston, and Midland, The Button Law Firm helps families across the Lone Star State.

SOURCE The Button Law Firm