CARROLLTON, Texas — Parker-Chase Preschool in Carrollton has been sued by one of its former families. Vanessa Ippolito sued the school, where her 3-year-old son once attended, its parent company Endeavor Schools, and the woman she says taught her son, Nyomi Reyes.
"They were supposed to protect him," Ippolito cried.
In their lawsuit, Ippolito and her husband claim Reyes physically abused their 3-year-old son. She said one night in March 2023, she went to give her son a shower.
"I undressed him, and I discovered these bruises all over his bottom," she cried.
Ippolito showed WFAA photos of the alleged abuse, which showed upwards of 12 bruises on his bottom. She said she immediately pulled her son out of school. Reyes was eventually criminally charged for injury to a child, elderly individual or disabled individual, but Ippolito says she was never contacted by anyone at Parker-Chase, even after the arrest.
"We think their response was absolutely abysmal," her attorney Noah McCathern said.
Their lawsuit states, that to the best of the plaintiff's knowledge, “Endeavor and Parker-Chase still have not accepted responsibility for the incident, or even informed parents of the ongoing criminal charges placed against Ms. Nyomi Reyes.”
"If you pay for someone to guard your kid and educate them, you have to guard and educate them," McCathern said. "You can’t just let them get hurt on your campus then forget about them."
Endeavor and Parker-Chase did not respond to our specific questions, but they did tell WFAA in a statement through a PR firm,
"We first learned about the family’s concerns when we were contacted by their attorney. At that point, we reported the matter immediately to the appropriate authorities and have given our full cooperation to them as they investigated the matter. We placed the teacher on administrative leave and ultimately dismissed her.
We take any claim seriously and have zero tolerance for any behavior that does not align with our high standards for care. The safety and wellbeing of the children in our care remains our highest priority, and we have not found any evidence that would substantiate the allegations made against the teacher.
While the matter is in litigation, we cannot provide further comment."
"It’s a life changing event," Ippolito cried. "It’s long lasting, the guilt, the PTSD we fall feel, the anxiety we all feel."
She said she is sharing her pain so publicly, "because I want my son to know that I did try to protect him," she said. "And I would hate for any parent that lives in my community to ever go through this."
WFAA spoke to Reyes on the phone and informed her of our interview with Ippolito. When we asked for a comment, she said she would get back with us but never did.