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Four former employees of a Mississippi day care are now under investigation by the state and the county sheriff’s office.
Videos posted to Facebook show one worker at Lil’ Blessings Child Care & Learning Center in Hamilton wearing a Halloween mask and yelling inches away from the children in their care.
In one of the horrific videos that surfaced on social media earlier last week, the employee, who identified herself as ‘CeeCee’ in a recent apology video, is seen grabbing children who were running away in terror.
Liz Sharlot, director of communications at the Mississippi Department of Health, confirmed to the Monroe Journal that the incident is under investigation.
The Monroe County Sheriff’s Office previously stated they were initially investigating the incident to see if any criminal charges could be filed against the employees.
The sheriff’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment by DailyMail.com.
The horrific video released last week shows CeeCee in a Halloween mask terrorizing children other teachers said were ‘bad’
Multiple students were seen covering their faces while another was hysterical as CeeCee got close to her face
A little girl who was attempting to eat her lunch got a fright when a daycare worker in a creepy Halloween mask approached her and yelled in her face
Sheila Sanders, who has worked at the day care since 1987 and has owned it for the last 20 years, said she was not aware of the videos until they were circulated online on October 5.
‘I contacted my licensure, and she has gotten involved,’ Sanders said.
‘The people that did those acts are no longer with us. They were fired. I wasn’t here at the time and wasn’t aware they were doing that. I don’t condone that and never have. I just want to say it’s been taken care of.’
One video was reportedly filmed in September while another was recorded on October 4, the day before both were posted to Facebook.
‘No one came forth to tell me it happened in September,’ she said.
Local parents immediately expressed disgust toward the videos while still supporting the day care.
Kimberly Smith, whose child is seen in one video, said she knows ‘100 percent’ that Sanders was unaware of the situation.
‘The witch hunt that has been going on for her and the other ones still here, it really needs to stop,’ Smith said. ‘Was the situation that did happen horrible? Absolutely. But should this day care be shut down and others be villainized that are still here, absolutely not.
‘Am I OK with what happened to the extent of what happened? Absolutely not, but I know she took care of it, and my babies are safe here.’
Another teacher stood by and pointed to the ‘misbehaving toddlers’ for CeeCee to handle
CeeCee can be seen pointing to the children while asking a fellow teacher if the student by her was misbehaving
The malicious stunt began after CeeCee purchased the mask from Dollar General in attempt to scare her coworker.
‘Long story short, I bought the masks to scare her eventually and they were used inappropriately,’ CeeCee said in a 19-minute apology video.
‘But what you all didn’t see was after I had left the room, I took it off and I went back into the classroom … and I said ‘CeeCee got the monster. It’s not coming back.’ And they would hug me. I known those kids their whole life.’
She worked at the facility for four years after first starting when she was 16.
Throughout CeeCee’s video, she explained the toddlers reacted emotionally because ‘they are children.’
‘I do want to say an example, I know it seem the way that it does, but it doesn’t have to be that way,’ CeeCee explained.
‘So like, I remember last Christmas there were these kids taking Christmas pictures and they would have the Grinch hiding in the bush over there and it would come out, scare the kids, and they would run – and people thought that was funny … essentially it’s the same thing. It is the same thing.’
She later added: ‘They knew it was me, and they had the reaction they did cause they’re children and that’s it.’
CeeCee didn’t post the video on her personal social media account but through a third-party user named Richard McCandless.
The video was reposted by Ashley Wood of Hamilton whose son attended the day care. Wood stood up for CeeCee and asked the public to halt their slander and death threats toward the former childcare worker
Terrified children were seen attempting to run away from the child care teacher as she avoided their sobs
The video was reposted by Ashley Wood, whose son attended the day care. Wood stood up for CeeCee and asked the public to stop with the slandering and death threats.
‘There will be consequences but it’s not our place to judge anyone or even make someone feel so alone and down,’ Wood wrote on Facebook. ‘[It] isn’t right. I don’t wish cece [sic] no bad on her. Was it wrong YES. I’m not saying it’s not and she knows that’s – and is what she is trying to get thru to everyone she is truly sorry.’
Another woman who has a child in a Mississippi day care reposted the horrific footage of CeeCee scaring toddlers on Facebook after it was taken down.
Kelsey Tackett shared the video online while calling for the daycare to be shutdown.
‘Now Lil’ Blessings – IF THIS HAD OF BEEN. MY CHILD; MIGHT AS WELL LOCK ME UP!!! THIS IS UNCALLED FOR!!!! I feel so bad for those babies & those mamas who will have to comfort their children while they try to sleep tonight & the nights to come,’ Tackett wrote.
‘Not mention having to find somewhere new for their child to go- excuse my language but I BE DANG*****!! This has made me S I C K !!!’
A statement, posted to mixed reactions, from employee Jennifer Kayla Newman
Monroe County officials say they are investigating the videos from inside the day care
Jennifer Kayla Newman, a daycare worker who claims to have filmed the videos, shared a long response on Facebook Thursday, saying she recorded the incidents not because she thought it was funny, but because she was trying to show parents her coworkers’ actions.
‘A couple of weeks ago some girls at the daycare bought Halloween masks to scare the kids, they did it and I never got it on video,’ she said.
The daycare worker went on to claim that her idea to record came from previous ‘slaps on the wrist’ that were given to her coworkers over issues she brought up to the owners without proof.
‘When I heard she was going to do it again, I recorded to get the proof and then the video was sent to parents to show them how their child was being treated,’ the woman wrote.
‘I did not video this for sh**s and giggles. It was not funny to me. I did not get amusement out of this. The one screaming in the kids faces is NOT me. The one standing next to the girl screaming is NOT me. That laughing in the video is NOT me,’ Newman said on Facebook.
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