Day Care Worker Fired Over Hot Sauce-Discipline On Child
DCF Investigates Incident
POSTED: Friday, February 1, 2008
UPDATED: 5:47 pm EST February 1,
2008
ORLANDO, Fla. -- A Central Florida day care worker has been fired after being accused of putting hot sauce into a child's mouth as a form of discipline, according to the Department of Children and Families.
The incident happened on Wednesday at Sugar & Spice Learning Center, located on South Ferncreek Avenue in Orlando.
The worker has not been identified, but DCF officials are investigating the incident.
"(The owner) did tell me that the employee was terminated and that this is certainly not behavior that's condoned by the facility," Carrie Hoeppner of the DCF said.
"All the questions need to be directed to the spokesperson for our company," an unidentified worker told Local 6 News.
The worker did not provide the name of the spokesperson or the owner's name.
Many parents were upset after hearing about the allegation, but at least one parent was indifferent.
"Hot sauce? It's a food. What's it going to do to them? Most of them eat hot sauce anyway, so what's it going to do to them?" a parent only identified as Kimberly said.
The day care is owned by ARR Learning Centers, and the company's Web site says "...children are provided with a warm, loving environment, where the children feel safe, secure and happy."
It is not known if the child allegedly given the hot sauce was hurt or is still attending the facility.
The day care could lose its license or face fines, Local 6 News reported.
Watch Local 6 News for more on this story.
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