Broward County‘s Head Start program could be in jeopardy after a federal review found a number of problems, including two allegations of child abuse.
A review of the pre-K program found the Broward County school district had violations serious enough to threaten $15 million in federal funding. The problems involved allegations that a teacher assistant at Broadview Elementary in North Lauderdale spanked a 4-year-old boy and that a teacher at Quiet Waters Elementary in Deerfield Beach humiliated and pushed a 4-year-old boy.
The district “did not ensure staff used positive methods of child guidance and did not use corporal punishment, emotional or physical abuse, humiliation, unnecessary restraint and isolation,” according to the review from the federal Administration for Children and Families, which runs the Head Start program.
The School Board took emergency action Tuesday to revise its policies, requiring increased training for teachers and fast reporting of any allegations of child abuse. Head Start required this action be taken immediately or it would withhold funding. The program serves about 2,200 Broward County students in 60 schools.
The report said a classroom teacher at Quiet Waters in October isolated a 4-year-old child who was bothering other students who were napping.
“When the child started crying, the teacher began to mock him and encouraged the other children to do the same, which made the child cry louder,” the report said. “The teacher then grabbed the chair on which the child was sitting and pushed it away.”
In November, a teacher assistant at the Broadview Elementary “grabbed a 4-year-old child by the shirt, turned him around and slapped him three times on the rear for unknown reasons,” the report says.
District officials on Tuesday would not provide the names of the employees or information about any discipline. They denied mishandling the abuse allegations, saying school officials contacted school police and an abuse hotline.
“We actually did take steps. The reporting was done,” School Board Chairwoman Donna Korn said.
District officials did not contact the Head Start regional director within three days, as required by the federal government, the report said.
Despite the corrective action, funding could still be at risk. The district scored an overall poor rating in “emotional support,” which involves classroom climate and teacher sensitivity, based on classroom visits to 48 teachers.
Federal law says the national Head Start program can seek other bids for programs ranked in the bottom 10 percent of the country. The district should know in December whether it ranks in the bottom.
Nicole Mancini, who runs the district’s Head Start program, said school principals have often put the newest teachers in Head Start classrooms.
“We invest time in developing teachers, and they’re moved into another grade level,” she said. “Then we get another person.”
District officials have changed procedures to ensure that principals consult with Mancini before placing teachers in Head Start classrooms.
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