SANDY SPRINGS, Ga. — A Sandy Springs preschool teacher is under investigation for allegations she hit a student, and her employer is under investigation for allegedly failing to report the incident to the state
Parent Ben Miller contacted Channel 2's Mike Petchenik about the incident he said he witnessed at Primrose Sandy Springs on Roswell Road a few weeks ago after he arrived to pick up his toddler.
“There’s a little boy who was standing next to my daughter, tugging on her teacher’s leg, nagging her about something it looked like,” he said. “She very casually backhanded him on the side of the head like she’d done it a thousand times before.”
Miller said the impact was hard enough that it stunned the little boy.
“The teacher immediately looked up and saw me with my jaw dropped,” he said. “I said: ‘Did you just hit that boy?’ She didn’t say anything. She looked down and started changing the diaper and I said: ‘Ma’am did you just hit that child,’ and she said: ‘I didn’t hit him hard.’”
Miller said he immediately picked up his daughter and went to the school office to report what he’d witnessed.
“She said likely the teacher would have to complete some kind of anger management or something like that. Classes,” Miller said the school director told him. “I was shocked.”
TRENDING STORIES:
- 5-year-old girl killed, multiple children injured in school bus crash
- Masked man attempts to kidnap 8-year-old girl from playground, police say
- Father of 3 killed by single punch during fight after child's birthday party
About a week later, Miller recorded a phone conversation with the school’s owner, Raneet Khurana, in which she said the teacher had admitted to her she hit the student but that she wasn’t being fired because Khurana said the boy’s family said they didn’t have a problem with what happened.
In another recorded conversation with Khuran’s husband, he can be heard telling Miller: “The teacher did not hit the child with any force,” and then later telling Miller he would immediately fire the teacher.
Petchenik reached out to the school and received an emailed statement from Khurana about the incident.
“Our highest priority is always the safety and wellbeing of the children entrusted to our care. We have extremely high standards and take this allegation very seriously. After learning about the alleged incident, we placed the teacher on administrative leave and immediately launched an internal investigation. We also reported the alleged incident to the Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning Child Care Services and are working with them directly as they conduct their own investigation.”
Despite Khurna’s statement, Petchenik learned the Department of Early Care and Learning was not aware of the allegations until he reached out to ask questions.
“I checked with our Child Care Services Division and there had not been a report about this, so our folks are reaching out to Mr. Miller this afternoon,” spokesman Reg Griffin emailed Petchenik last week. “We will confirm the address and the information he shared and open an investigation.”
Griffin later confirmed his office had opened an official investigation into what happened based on Mr. Miller’s allegations and he reiterated that nobody from Primrose reached out to his office.
Griffin said an investigation could take about a month and depending on what investigators found, the day care could face penalties including fines and possible licensure suspension or revocation.
“I want the owner of the day care held accountable. I want the teacher held accountable,” said Miller. “Just do the right thing. For God’s sake. These are children.”
Miller also told Petchenik he reported the incident to Sandy Springs police, but that an officer who responded didn’t seem interested in taking a report.
“I said: ‘OK, so you don’t need to make a report?’ Miller recounted. “He said: No, you’ve just got to call DFACs.’”
Petchenik emailed the Sandy Springs Police Department public information unit and a city spokeswoman last Tuesday to inquire about why the officer never took a report, and his email was initially ignored.
Petchenik sent a followup email last Friday indicating Mr. Miller’s concerns about how the officer handled it, and within a few hours Miller said he received a call from a detective.
A Sandy Springs spokeswoman, Sharon Kraun, then sent Petchenik an emailed statement:
“SSPD is actively investigating this case in conjunction with Bright from the Start. There are mitigating circumstances surrounding custody issues. As this is an open investigation, SSPD is not able to provide any additional detail."
Channel 2 Action News is not naming the teacher because she’s not facing criminal charges at this point.
Cox Media Group
