Three people were arrested and the daycare center of a church in Georgia was ordered to shut down after it was alleged that it gave toddlers Benadryl to make them drowsy for naps.
The child care center at Forsyth Methodist Church, located in Forsyth, approximately 60 miles south of Atlanta, was placed under emergency closure order Monday by the Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning (DECAL), which stated that it had discovered infractions that placed the children in “imminent danger.”
A week after Kendasja Hughley, a daycare center teacher, was taken into custody on suspicion of reckless behavior, the order was issued.
She has also been charged with simple battery and cruelty to minors, according to online jail records.
Shelby Webb, a teacher, and Cathy Stevick, the day care’s director, were taken into custody on Tuesday.
According to the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office, Webb was charged with simple violence and a crime of cruelty to minors, while Stevick was charged with failing to report child abuse.
There was no information about attorneys.
According to the order, Hughley is accused of giving three 2-year-old children Benadryl before nap time on March 2 and March 5 without getting their parents’ permission.
According to the directive, a staff member informed the daycare center’s management, but the administrators failed to notify the parents of the children or penalize Hughley.
Hughley was told by management to record her Benadryl use, but she failed to obtain the necessary parental signature on the form. Children’s Benadryl was administered to the toddlers, according to a DECAL representative.
Mostly used to alleviate allergy symptoms, Benadryl might make you drowsy. Children under the age of four should not be given over-the-counter cough and cold medications, according to the Mayo Clinic.
According to the sheriff’s office, Hughley administered the medication to the kids in order to “make them sleepy for nap time.” According to officials, Stevick didn’t notify DECAL about the event until Facebook posts about it were published.
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As per the order, the parents claimed that their kids were “not normal” and “sluggish” on several occasions when they picked them up. According to DECAL, it was unclear how frequently the kids received the medication.
Subsequent research revealed that daycare center employees would yell at the kids “when redirecting them” and would frequently pick up the two-year-olds and toss them into their mats in an attempt to wrestle with them, according to the ruling.
Additionally, Hughley has a history of inappropriate discipline and other disciplinary actions.
The offenses, according to the agency, “place the health, safety, or welfare of children in imminent danger.” Unless the daycare center chooses to file an appeal, the shutdown will remain in place for 21 days.
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