Child Injury Lawyer Blog
In day care centers in Wisconsin and throughout the rest of the nation, there is a population of children at risk for harm when placed in a day care center – infants. Working parents rely upon day care centers to provide a safe haven for their children. These parents do not have much of a choice due to work, financial, and personal constraints of life. A dedicated and professionally trained nanny would be nice but most people cannot afford such a luxury. While most infants placed in day care centers do just fine, others suffer personal injuries and even death in the very environment where the children are supposed to be safe and well cared for.
A recent tragedy in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin exemplifies the sad reality of these incidents. News reports indicate that a ten-year-old girl attending the same day care as a six-month-old baby boy allegedly abused a child after dropping him while holding him. It was reported that the young girl admitted to stomping on the baby’s head because the baby began to cry after she accidentally dropped the baby. Consequently, the infant sustained serious head trauma and died in the hospital two days later.
At the time of the infant’s tragic death, one adult and two other children were present at the daycare. This raises questions about supervision requirements in childcare facilities and the other safety requirements necessary in such places. The Early Childhood Knowledge and Learning Center recommends active supervision of all children in childcare locations, especially infants. It asserts that an adult should be accessible and supervising all children at all times. In order to achieve this, the Early Childhood Knowledge and Learning Center suggests that childcare facilities plan out staff positioning in rooms, continually scan and count the children in the room, listen for signs of danger, anticipate children’s behavior, and set up an environment conducive to all children remaining in the constant sight of an adult. Childcare centers should also separate children of differing age groups. See Day Center Supervision Recommendations.
In Wisconsin and other States, day care centers should be safe havens for children. They should be placed where children are well cared for in supportive, nurturing environment. Unfortunately, some day care center employees and volunteers abuse the children under the care of a day care center. These reckless employees and volunteers use their positions of trust to prey on children. Some are caught while many others go undetected only to go on to abuse more children along the way.
In Wisconsin, day care centers, that provide for transportation on a van or a bus for six or more passengers, are required to have a safety alarm installed. The law was put in place in response to the tragic death of Jalen Knox-Perkins who was mistakenly left in a day care van by a Milwaukee Wisconsin day care center. Jalen was only 4 months old at the time of the incident. The death of this child was a loss for the family, day care center, and community. The death of Jalen Knox-Perkins helped, in part, convince lawmakers in the State of Wisconsin to pass a law requiring safety alarms be placed in day care center vans and buses.
In Wisconsin and other States, children enrolled in schools, day care centers, and child care centers are at risk for injury from negligent acts and disciplinary measures that lead to Shaken Baby Syndrome. When a day care provider, child care provider, babysitter, or other supervising adult or teen gets frustrated with life or the behavior of a child, the anger, frustration, or ignorance, at times, leads to the shaking of the baby. This, in turn, can cause serious personal injuries and even death to the child. Shaken Baby Syndrome is classified a neurological injury to the brain of the child. The mechanism of the injury results from the child’s head being whiplashed back and forth or by the blunt force trauma of a wall, floor, or other object. In only a few seconds of neglect, a child’s life can be forever affected. It is well known and documented that disabilities in the form of function and cognition result from Shaken Baby Syndrome.
In Sheboygan, Wisconsin, a two year old boy suffered serious personal injuries when he was bit by a Pit Bull breed dog owned by a relative. It was reported that the Pit Bull breed dog grabbed the child and shook the child vigorously. The personal injuries suffered by the Wisconsin child included a laceration to the head, an injury to the eye, and an injury to the jaw. The boy had been playing with the dog and then patted the dog on the dog’s head. At that moment, the dog then grabbed the child by his head and would not release the child. The boy was later rushed to Aurora Sheboygan Memorial Medical Center. The injuries were so severe that the child was airlifted to Childen’s Hospital near Milwaukee, Wisconsin. You can read more about this story at 
According to the Wisconsin Department of Children and Families, Wisconsin day care centers will now be allowed to fingerprint potential employees. The executive director of Wausau Child Care, Inc., Jen Kowalski said that this additional safety measure is worth taking. However, there is one caveat.
Sexual harassment in schools is unwanted and unwelcome sexual behavior that interferes with a student’s right to receive an education. The problem is more prevalent than you might think because most students who become victims are too embarrassed or scared to report sexual harassment. Sexually harassing behaviors range from words (written or spoken) and gestures to unwanted physical contact that can cause a substantial interference with a student’s schoolwork or ability to participate in extracurricular activities. Some instances of sexual harassment may also be criminal acts such as assault, rape, and child abuse.