Louisville-area daycare closed indefinitely by state amid investigation over abuse claims
A local daycare was closed indefinitely Thursday by Kentucky officials as the facility reckons with the fallout of an employee being charged with child abuse – and allegations in a lawsuit that abusive actions had been ignored or covered up.
The Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services’ Office of Inspector General issued an "emergency suspension" of services at Vanguard Academy, a daycare in Norton Commons, "as a result of the center’s alleged failure to comply with state regulations," said Brice Mitchell, the cabinet's communications advisor, in a statement.
"The suspension remains in effect until the Division of Regulated Child Care receives a corrective action plan," Mitchell said.
The suspension comes on the heels of a lawsuit from two sets of parents against the daycare, several employees and owner Ann Revell. The lawsuit, filed in Jefferson Circuit Court in October, alleged an employee abused multiple children.
The employee accused of abuse, Racheal Flannery, was criminally charged in September with first-degree abuse of children under the age of 12. In her arrest citation, Flannery was accused of being shown on camera "intentionally violently handling" children "of whom she had actual custody of as sole caretaker," which placed "both victims in a situation that may cause victims serious physical injury or cruel punishment."
Flannery, who has since posted bond, was ordered in court to not have contact with the daycare center, and Vanguard sent out an email saying that Flannery is on "indefinite leave of absence" in the aftermath of the arrest, according to the lawsuit.
An attorney representing Flannery did not respond to phone calls from The Courier Journal requesting comment Friday. She's pleaded not guilty, according to court records.
A staff member at the Vanguard Academy who answered a phone call Friday morning said the facility did not have a comment on the ongoing investigation.
The lawsuit, which was filed separately from the criminal case against Flannery and represents just one side of the case, alleges a video from the daycare shows Flannery abusing a child while by "shoving" a bottle in its mouth and squeezing the child's head into her chest, before dropping the child at one point and "aggressively" placing the child in a crib.
The lawsuit also claims Vanguard staff members contacted parents of a child who was hurt and advised them to take their child to the hospital, where bruises were found on their left cheek and upper left arm along with a lip wound.
A response filed Monday by Flannery's attorney said the defendant denied or is without knowledge of most allegations contained in the lawsuit called for it to be dismissed with prejudice.
Ryan Russell, one of the parents who filed the lawsuit against Vanguard and several employees, said there was no corrective action the academy could take to regain his trust.
"If someone does something bad, you trust the people above them, the people that were paying, and then you met with, to be swift in their actions," Russell said. "They've been the furthest thing from that. In fact, they're trying to hold back justice from my family."
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Russell hopes the lawsuit will bring answers from the school and from the police. As for the state's actions, Russell said he hopes they leave no stone unturned in their investigation.
Vanguard, which opened in 2008 in northeast Louisville, offers care for newborns as well as preschool, kindergarten and elementary school.
The lawsuit claims the charges filed against Flannery are not the first time Vanguard employees have taken part in abusive behavior against children in their care, and claims when concerns over abusive behavior had been raised with Revell by employees, workers were told to "keep quiet" or they could be fired. It also alleges Vanguard employees have been under the influence of drugs at work, had not received adequate training on how to care for children and had failed to report injuries to parents in a timely manner.
The response from Flannery's attorney said their client did not have enough information or knowledge to form a belief as to whether those allegations were true.
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Reach Ana Alvarez Briñez at abrinez@gannett.com; follow her on Twitter @SoyAnaAlvarez. Contact reporter Rae Johnson at RNJohnson@gannett.com. Follow them on Twitter at @RaeJ_33.
This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Vanguard Academy in Louisville closed indefinitely over abuse claims
