Five employees of an uptown Hoboken school for young children were fired last week after a video of an employee appearing to handle a child roughly went viral on Facebook.
On Wednesday, June 10, a Facebook user named Sara Elizabeth posted a video that appeared to show a teacher aggressively trying to put a hat on a child, alternately appearing to shake and lift the toddler before leaving her sprawled on the ground. The woman said she was posting it for another mom, and that the school had suspended an employee for 30 days. She said she felt that was not enough.
The incident was filmed via cell phone by someone living near the center. It took place at the uptown Hoboken branch of Apple Montessori School, located at the Maxwell Place condo complex.
In just two days, the video was shared over 4,000 times and racked up over 785,000 views.
In a press release issued Thursday, Apple Montessori School confirmed that the viral video involved a teacher’s aide at their Hoboken location and stated that the individual had been terminated immediately after Apple ownership viewed the video on Wednesday.
A teacher and a second aide who were present for the incident and did not intervene were also terminated, as were the director and assistant director of that location.
The release said the director and assistant director of Apple Montessori’s uptown location had been in possession of the video in question since Thursday, June 4 but did not move to terminate the aide. Both officials were fired “for their mishandling of this incredibly serious situation,” according to the release.
“The safety and well-being of our students are our top priorities,” continued the Apple Montessori statement. “We are deeply troubled by the behavior of the former staffer toward a student at our Hoboken location…Additionally, we are instituting new safety measures to ensure that this type of incident doesn’t happen again.”
One local daycare owner said a private elementary school program is subject to far fewer regulations than a daycare.
A different nearby day care issued a letter to parents about the incident stating, “For many families enrolling in child care for the first time, or families currently enrolled, this situation is a nightmare we never hope to experience…no child’s behavior EVER warrants that type of response. We take our positive guidance policy seriously, as we speak about it at our staff meetings, as well as enforcing our Mandated Reporter trainings. We have had conversations over the last two days with our staff about this event and the serious implications about not reporting abuse.”
The poster of the video added a post over the weekend: “It is extremely sad that this had to happen and come out the way that it did … Apple has been given an opportunity to make a huge difference in the way they run things and if they take these steps, I think they can somewhat redeem themselves and create a higher standard in the care of our children at a daycare or preschool. They have a chance to make a change and I really hope they take it for the sake of the children there. That is their second home. Their classmates are like family to them. Ripping them away from each other isn’t really the answer, but the school can certainly get its act together.”
She also said she’s been in contact with child welfare and other agencies.
“I’m neither in support of nor out to get Apple,” she wrote. “I have no vested interest in them. I just want to see the children of our community be treated correctly and to enjoy learning without fear of being harmed by the adults they love and trust…there are parents choosing to keep their children there and we should respect them. In the end all parents are trying to do the same thing: look out for their child’s best interest. If they believe it is best for their child to stay there, we as parents should support their right to choose to do so. As a community, we should push for higher standards from AMS to protect those children that will stay and will be attending in the coming years. Just because we do not agree with a parent’s decision does not mean we can bash or bully them for their choice. Let’s make love, not mom wars.”
Carlo Davis may be reached at cdavis@hudsonreporter.com.