A family from Fort Worth, Texas, has filed a lawsuit against a local daycare facility following an incident in which surveillance footage allegedly captured an adult employee instigating a fight involving a 4-year-old boy.

The lawsuit targets Arka Montessori Academy of Risinger, stemming from an April 27 visit by the child’s mother, Heather Harris, who made an unannounced stop at the facility after sensing something was wrong, as reported by ABC affiliate WFAA.

According to the family’s attorney, Russell T. Button, surveillance footage shows a staff member, described as a former employee, encouraging her own son to attack the 4-year-old before shaking the victim and causing him to fall.

“This place looked like a child fight club,” Button told the outlet. “It felt like one. This kid was thrown around like a human rag doll by somebody that was supposed to protect him.”

The lawsuit argues that the facility failed in its duty to protect the child.

Heather Harris told WFAA she felt something was wrong from her son’s demeanor.

She said: ““I knew from his cry, in the look on his face, that something had happened. And from that point on, I said, I need to see the cameras.”

“The trust that I put in this daycare, they failed us,” Richard Harris, the boy’s father, told WFAA.

Before enrolling their son, the couple researched multiple facilities, prioritizing cleanliness, educational standards and the presence of 24-7 surveillance cameras.

“Education was big; it was clean,” Richard Harris said. “Arka, we thought we hit gold with Arka.”

Heather Harris added, “Everything that glitters isn’t gold, and that facility was one of them.”

Button said of the lawsuit: “When you speak up, when you bring these things to light, it helps hold everyone accountable, and that makes other daycares take notice. That makes them change their ways, become safer. So, working parents have a place to send their kids.”

State records indicate the academy has accumulated 21 deficiencies since January 2024, involving health and safety risks, though a subsequent inspection on August 20, 2026, recorded zero deficiencies.

Prior to the incident, the 4-year-old boy spent his time engaged in sports and practicing Michael Jackson dance moves.

“He’s walking around now with his Michael Jackson glove,” Richard Harris told the outlet. “So, he’s just pretty awesome.”

The Independent has contacted Button, the family’s attorney, and Arka Montessori Academy of Risinger for comment.