A children's daycare in Hamilton, Mississippi, is under investigation after footage was leaked online showing staff members allegedly scaring kids with a Scream mask.
As reported by the New York Post, employee Jennifer Kayla Newman recorded and shared the footage in an effort to highlight the alleged goings on at the Lil’ Blessings Child Care and Learning Center.
Newman claimed that other staff members opted to wear a mask resembling Ghost Face from the Scream horror movies in an attempt to scare children who they deem had been "bad" and didn't "clean up".
The footage - which was also shared to Reddit - shows children crying as an adult wearing the mask can be seen kneeling down to the kids' level and making screaming noises.
The video clearly shows the children becoming more distressed and upset as the concerning act continues.
After receiving a backlash for sharing the video, Newman explained why she had decided to record the incident: "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. The kids were terrified but I knew if I told the owner, it would be a slap on the wrist for them as I've complained about other things in the past and nothing ever got done."
Writing in a Facebook post, Newman added: "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."
Newman stresses: "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."
"I'm just now getting the proof I needed to help get those people out of that daycare and away from those children," Newman wrote, adding that she did not believe that calling the police herself would have amounted to anything.
"The cameras in that daycare do not record so there are was no going back and checking," she also claimed.
Since the video went viral on social media KALB reports that the daycare's owner, Sheila Sanders, has told the Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal that she was unaware of the videos until Wednesday.
She claims that nobody has told her about the incidents but has confirmed that the employees have been fired.
The state Department of Health and the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office is investigating, and the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office said that it is working with the county prosecutor to see if any possible criminal charges can be filed.
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