WEST PALM BEACH, FLA. (WSVN) - Disturbing surveillance video captured an employee at a South Florida therapy center using a shoe to spank a special needs child, upsetting parents who take their children there.
The employee involved is now out of a job, and that family is looking to take legal action.
Surveillance video from inside a therapy room at Maximum Achievers in West Palm Beach captured an employee as he picked up his sneaker and hit a child on the backside.
Just moments before, the employee appeared to throw a ball at the child. Seconds later, he is seen throwing his shoe at the boy from close range.
Natalie Bovilgliari has a 4-year-old son who is on the spectrum and receives therapy at that same center.
“I’m really upset right now,” said Bovilgliari. “It looks like there’s a lot wrong in this right now, I’m a little taken aback.”
She believes the boy on camera is nonverbal.
“I see him all the time; he’s a sweetheart,” said Bovilgliari.
Maximum Achievers claims to provide a nurturing and engaging environment for children with special needs.
“Most of those kids there are not able to express what they are feeling or, if something happens, can express what happens to them,” said an upset father. “It’s just very concerning.”
For the rest of the five-minute-long video, the employee is seen tossing the ball back and forth with the child.
In an official statement, Maximum Achievers said that employee has since been fired, and they are working with police.
The center said it “has a zero-tolerance policy for any conduct that puts a child at risk.”
Parents want to talk to the owners, but they feel their trust has been broken.
“Just make sure we don’t go through the same thing the kid’s parents are going through right now,” said a father.
The boy’s mother has since filed a police report and said her son is doing much better.
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