North Texas day care faces suit; accused of aggressive handling, inappropriate discipline

A family is suing a Dallas-Fort Worth area daycare center, alleging aggressive handling and inappropriate discipline used on its nearly 2-year-old daughter, according to lawsuit filed Wednesday in Tarrant County.

The complaint against Park Vista Children’s Academy, near the border of Fort Worth and Keller, accused the day care of negligence. Parents Brooke and Jeffrey Napier brought the suit after an August 2023 incident that involved “pushing, shoving, and aggressive handling such as being yanked by one arm,” according to a news release about the filing.

Following the initial incident, an investigation was conducted by the Texas Health and Human Services Commission Child-Care Licensing Division and the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services that cited the day care for violating multiple childcare licensing rules, according to the legal filings.

Those broken rules include:

• Responsibilities of employees and caregivers – ensure no child is abused, neglected, or exploited
• Responsibilities of caregivers – set appropriate behavior expectations
• Prohibited punishments – corporal punishment
• Prohibited punishments – no harsh, cruel or unusual punishment
• Prohibited punishments – grabbing and pulling

Surveillance footage of the incident obtained during the investigation shows the alleged abusive behaviors lasting for over 20 minutes.

“No parent should have to endure the torment of discovering their child was subjected to such abusive treatment,” said Brooke Napier in a statement. “The revelations of how Park Vista Children’s Academy treated our daughter have left us angry and heartbroken.”

The day care was also previously cited at least four times by the Texas Health and Human Services Commission for violations related to failing to show good judgment, according to the suit. The initial filing asks for a jury trial to assign damages.

The day care, which offers infant and toddler care, preschool and after-school programming, does not appear to have an attorney yet, per court records, and did not immediately respond to a request for comment.