Fired Daycare Workers Outrage Community After Caught Terrifying Children With Halloween Mask
Four employees were fired after footage spread of sobbing children at a Mississippi daycare being terrified by a screaming adult in a Halloween ghost mask.
WTVA News 9 first reported on the fallout from the video, speaking to parents in the community, many of whom said they were “outraged” by the video. The video that has been so widely shared actually contains footage from two separate incidents, one from September and the more recent occurring on October 4.
In the footage, someone in a ghost mask is screaming in the face of children, each one of whom is sobbing. At one point, unmasked woman appears to be pointing out which kids in the room need to be punished. After saying a sitting child has been “bad,” the masked employee jumps close to his face, screams and asks, “do I need to take you outside?”
Monroe County Sheriff Kevin Crook told WTVA that no criminal charges have been filed but authorities are looking into the incident. The owner of the Lil’ Blessings Daycare told the outlet she was not aware of what occurred in the video and four employees have been fired.
What is WRONG with people? I will never understand sick adults who get off on terrorizing children. It’s not funny or cute. It’s hateful and perverse and they should never be allowed to work with kids again pic.twitter.com/krBXkIjUNd
— Allie Beth Stuckey (@conservmillen) October 6, 2022
“I wasn’t here at the time. I wasn’t aware that they were doing that, and I don’t condone that and never have,” the owner told WTVA’s Ethan Foster. “I just wanted to say that it’s been taken care of.”
“I would have fired them on the spot,” one resident named Brenda Honeycutt said. She added, however, that she did not believe the owner had any knowledge of the actions of her employees.
Keegan Hays, a father whose daughter appeared in the video as one of the frightened kids, said security cameras would be among the necessary steps to trust the daycare center again after the bizarre Halloween mask punishment devised by employees.
