EAST ST LOUIS, Ill. — Michelle Mitchell left the Jackie Joyner-Kersee Center Tuesday afternoon with her two sons by her side, as the boys always are.
“I can't do a daycare ever again,” Mitchell said.
Mitchell said she was disappointed but not surprised to hear that two teachers at an East St. Louis preschool — run by SIU-Edwardsville but housed in the JJK Center — were placed on leave while police investigate claims of inappropriate discipline.
RELATED: Teachers charged with forcing students to strip naked for punishment at East St. Louis preschool
Mitchell had minor problems with daycare centers in the past so she stays home now to take care of the boys, ages 4 and 2.
“It’s not worth it to me,” Mitchell said of the convenience of preschool. “I want my kids to grow up and have a full life without anything like this traumatizing them.”
SIU-Edwardsville Police Chief Kevin Schmoll said at least four kids at the program were forced to strip naked and stand in a closet as punishment for misbehavior. Another child witnessed the punishment.
“I want to emphasize how brave these little kids have been coming forward and talking to us about these incidents,” Schmoll said.
According to the campus police activity log, investigators were called to the Jackie Joyner Kersee Center in East St. Louis around 12:45 p.m. on March 14 for the child abuse report. According to the log, the report was for "a teacher putting a naked child in a closet for disciplinary actions."
Schmoll said the children will be interviewed further by specialists at the Child Advocacy Center in Belleville, Illinois April 3-5.
Schmoll said the unusual punishment was isolated to one classroom, and there could be criminal charges filed. The teacher’s assistant also witnessed the punishment but didn’t report it, Schmoll said. That assistant was placed on leave from work.
SIUE sent parents a letter March 15 saying -- in part -- that "under no circumstances does the program condone or tolerate any inappropriate treatment towards children, families or staff."
As the Mitchells climb into their car, Michelle said these allegations only reinforce her decision to stick with home childcare.
“People always look at me like I'm overreacting like I'm overprotective with my kids,” Mitchell said. “I don't care what they say. I don't. And it doesn’t make a difference, because look at all the stuff that happened in the news today.”
The Jackie Joyner-Kersee Foundation released the following statement regarding the developments:
“The Jackie Joyner-Kersee Foundation would like to take a moment to clarify some inaccuracies in some recent media reports regarding the situation that recently happened at the SIUE Head Start Program. The SIUE Head Start Program leases space at the back of the Jackie Joyner-Kersee Center however the program is run completely independently from the Jackie Joyner-Kersee Center programming and Foundation. Our staff was in no way involved in this alleged incident and had no knowledge of what happened in this case. As a Foundation that dedicates itself to improving the lives of children, we were deeply saddened to hear this alleged incident occurred and know that appropriate legal actions are being taken.”