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Parents Say Their 5-Year-Old Son Was Dragged Around by a Rope at Daycare

Parents Say Their 5 Year Old Son Was Dragged Around by a Rope at Daycare

The parents of 5-year-old Cameron Berrios say he was dragged around by a rope at his daycare while the person in charge did nothing. (Image source: WTVF-TV)

The parents of a 5-year-old boy say their son was dragged by a rope looped around his neck at daycare while the person in charge did nothing.

Sarah and Jose Berrios told Nashville’s WTVF-TV they grew concerned last Wednesday when their son Cameron returned home, pulling on the back of his neck.

“I asked him what was wrong,” Sarah Berrios told the station.  “And that’s when I saw this huge red welt on the back of his neck.”

But when she heard his explanation of how it happened, she became even more alarmed.

“He said children at the YMCA had put a rope around his neck, and they were pulling him,” she said.  “So I went back up to the YMCA and made them fill out a report.  I confronted the teacher that was watching him, and he claimed he didn’t see any of this going on.”

She said it took several days for the rope burn on Cameron’s neck to heal. After multiple requests, they said the YMCA finally let them view surveillance footage of the incident this week.

“There was one particular child that kept tugging on the rope, so Cameron’s whole body is just flopping around,” Sarah said of the footage. “And the YMCA working was clearly aware of what was going on, because you could see him in the video.”

They have filed a formal complaint and reached out to several employees within the YMCA organization. They told WTVF they won’t stop until they get an explanation.

“Any adult in their right mind would never ever let this happen to any child, and he was hired to work with children,” Sarah said.

A spokeswoman for the YMCA of Middle Tennessee told WTVF in a statement they are aware of the incident and have suspended the employee in question without pay, pending an internal investigation.

According to the station, the employee involved had completed abuse prevention training required for all YMCA staff. He had only been working for the YMCA since November.

Comments (55)

  • roadhog
    Posted on December 26, 2011 at 7:59pm

    How about some jail time for this person and a Lawsuit to Follow

    Report Post »  
  • MarieK. Kelley
    Posted on December 26, 2011 at 7:06pm

    I agree with LEADNOTFOLLOW That video should be shown. That poor little boy, what a nightmare.

    Report Post »  
  • SouEu
    Posted on December 26, 2011 at 1:34pm

    A similar thing happened to me as a kid.

    In first grade I went to a school in Denver that was 99% black and Latino. I was one of the few whites. The other students would target me because of my color. I was held up with a knife by one of the other students so he could steal my four pennies that I had on me. I was always being jumped, etc.

    One day someone got a rope and they tied it around my neck and were dragging me all around the playground while others were kicking me, spitting on me and calling me racial slurs. Eventually they dragged me over to the monkey bars and threw the rope over the bars and started to try to hang me from the monkey bars, but that’s when a teacher saw what was happening and saved me. The teacher was very distraught over what happened, as were my parents.

    Soon after my family moved to Utah, and things were great ever since.

    Report Post »  
  • Sapience
    Posted on December 25, 2011 at 10:46am

    This must be some of that socialization my homeschool kids are missing.

    Report Post »  
    • sensibleadult
      Posted on December 25, 2011 at 2:00pm

      I agree wholeheartedly. This “socialization” baloney is a bunch of hogwash. Daycare should more properly be called “don’t care”.

      Report Post »  
    • teamarcheson
      Posted on December 25, 2011 at 2:26pm

      Video Pulled Because Its Another Black On White Crime

      The Black kids were just practicing lynching whitty as they are taught. This is the new Obama generation. The teachers must be black too.

      Oh my, could I get pulled just like the video was pulled?

      Report Post »  
    • TomFerrari
      Posted on December 26, 2011 at 7:54am

      Speaking of home-schooling…

      LINK UP for RESTORING LOVE July 26 27 28 in Dallas, and volunteer for EDUCATION missions!
      http://www.meetup.com/MercuryOneHQ

      I’d love to see an all new curriculum designed by us for us, and possibly the creation of some social outings and possibly even “centers” where our children can gather for wholesome, supervised activities. The centers could also be used for monitored testing.

      LINK UP NOW !!
      http://www.meetup.com/MercuryOneHQ

      Report Post » TomFerrari  
  • ScottyK7
    Posted on December 25, 2011 at 9:17am

    Nine years ago when my wife and I were married, we made the decision that we would be a one-income family from the start of our marriage. We adjusted our budget to match this goal, and shortly after we were married my wife quit her job.

    Now we have four children, and we homeschool them. Granted we don’t have the latest in gadgets and electronics, but we‘re a family and we’re together. I sleep well at night knowing my children are being taught a sound biblical education.

    Our society has bought into the lie that we deserve the best of everything. We have no problem dumping our kids off at a daycare for 12 hours a day just to have our “career”.

    Quit making excuses for your life, and start putting your kids first. You only get 18 or so years to raise them before the world get a hold of them.

    Yes there are exceptions to this, but in general kids should be raised at home, by their parents, not by public school teachers or minimum wage workers at the local day-care.

    And Merry Christmas everyone!

    ScottyK7  
    • sensibleadult
      Posted on December 25, 2011 at 2:11pm

      Excellent, excellent, excellent post! Makes perfect sense. Daycare is a liberal scheme to divide children from their parents and reduce parental influence and authority.

      Report Post »  
  • landmark
    Posted on December 24, 2011 at 10:58pm

    More & more people do not take responsibilities for their actions so therefore bad things happen. These people are allowed to get away with it. Like the mobs that show up at stores & steal. This kind of person feel like somebody owe them something……………………..I think they go through their lives with that mind set!! It’s sad & keep getting more and more prevalent!! Have a nice holiday!

    Report Post » landmark  
    • demint.disciple
      Posted on December 25, 2011 at 8:53am

      I don’t have to guess what color the teacher was do I ?

      Report Post » demint.disciple  
    • Maji
      Posted on December 25, 2011 at 12:54pm

      Sorry, he wasn’t of “color” then it could be a hate crime!

      Report Post »  
  • The Knave
    Posted on December 24, 2011 at 10:40pm

    Cofemale wrote:
    “Wow, both of you are way off base and Neanderthals. Not all women can have the luxury to stay home. So what is a woman to do when the “baby daddy” leaves and/or refuses to pay child support?

    When are you guys going to “MAN UP” and take your responsibilities serious?”

    Oh, I suppose around the same time that you gals “WOMAN UP” and keep those legs of yours closed, ridding us of this bulls*** “baby daddy” culture. Responsibility goes both ways, darlin’.

    Report Post »  
    • momsense
      Posted on December 25, 2011 at 5:00am

      You got that right. The women today are just as bad as the men. It’s a badge of honor in some cultures to talk about the number of D@@ks you;ve had.

      Report Post »  
    • The American People
      Posted on December 25, 2011 at 12:17pm

      I can’t comment on women but men are less and less attracted to women who have been around too much. Some men don’t care. The ones with class do though. I beleive the standards should work both ways as well. An approach to parenting that I really liked was when a friend, who was a grandmother expained to me how she raised her children. She focused on morals for all of them and specifically focused on responsability for her son and maximizing self respect in her daughter. So her son could always devote himself to treating people right and her daughter wouldn’t put herself in trashy situations. It was refreshing.

      Report Post » The American People  
  • deloclem
    Posted on December 24, 2011 at 10:31pm

    This is in reply to COFEMALE’s “baby daddy” question:
    Well, to answer your “baby daddy” question, women shouldn’t give themselves to men so freely. They should wait until they have a husband to have their children, the old fashioned way. Don’t have the honeymoon before the wedding! Then they won’t have the “baby daddy” leaving and refusing to pay child support problem and there won’t be so many single women with multiple children with different fathers being supported by the taxpayer. Women who have children for men they aren’t married to, set themselves up to be single for the rest of their lives. Very few women, who have a child out of wedlock ever marry the child’s father, or marry at all.

    Report Post »  
  • Findalis
    Posted on December 24, 2011 at 10:20pm

    The parents should do one thing. Contact a lawyer. Their son could have been badly hurt, paralyzed or even killed. The YMCA should bear responsibility for this and be shut down.

    Report Post » Findalis  
  • confederacyofdunces
    Posted on December 24, 2011 at 9:48pm

    My daughter used to go there for after school and Summer camp. I was never impressed. A certain “counselor” Tiffany was pretty clueless. One day during a camp field trip a boy exposed himself to my daughter. I was upset, they were saying I wasn’t allowed to know how things were handled for the sake of the boys anonymity. I let out a few choice words. Tiffany ( being the genius that she is) was outraged at my language. Clearly she has a good set of priorities. I wish she and the rest of the staff had been more attentive to the kids during the trip or been more outraged at the little predator on the bus.
    Tiffany is now employed at the grade school she worked after care at. Now she gets state and federal dollars in her paycheck. Now parents have even less chance to get kids away from the inattentive, bird brained teachers assistant. See, the “Peter Principle” really is true. She has risen to her highest level of incompetence and will affect all the kids in her classroom. Now this is a reason for school vouchers.

    Report Post »  
    • toto
      Posted on December 24, 2011 at 10:07pm

      While I believe that the child who exposed himself should be dealt with, kids will be kids and little kids do all kinds of inappropriate things. I have a real problem with the idea that a little kid should be labeled a predator at such an early age. Maybe, just maybe, there is over reaction involved here and teaching your child how to deal with such situations is a better way to go. You didn’t say how old the kids are, and that makes a difference.

      Report Post »  
    • Mil Mom
      Posted on December 25, 2011 at 2:04am

      @toto
      Posted on December 24, 2011 at 10:07pm
      While I believe that the child who exposed himself should be dealt with, kids will be kids and little kids do all kinds of inappropriate things. I have a real problem with the idea that a little kid should be labeled a predator at such an early age. Maybe, just maybe, there is over reaction involved here and teaching your child how to deal with such situations is a better way to go. You didn’t say how old the kids are, and that makes a difference.
      *****
      You’re right, the age of the child DOES make a difference, BUT there’s no reason the parent should not know HOW the situation was handled.
      Of course now, IT‘S A GOOD THING HE DIDN’T SHOW HER A PICTURE OF A GUN, OR PRETEND TO MAKE ONE WITH HIS FINGERS, WE ALL KNOW HE’D HAVE BEEN ARRESTED AND LED OFF IN HANDCUFFS, FOR THE WHOLE SCHOOL TO SEE!

      Report Post » Mil Mom  
  • COFemale
    Posted on December 24, 2011 at 9:37pm

    Frankly, this guy should have been fired on the spot.

    Report Post » COFemale  
    • Countrygirl1362
      Posted on December 24, 2011 at 9:47pm

      Than arrested.

      Report Post »  
    • Mil Mom
      Posted on December 25, 2011 at 2:06am

      @COFemale
      Posted on December 24, 2011 at 9:37pm
      Frankly, this guy should have been fired on the spot
      ***
      Or at least the minute they saw it on the surveillance video. THEN CHARGED WITH CHILD ENDANGERING, SO NO OTHER DAY CARE COULD HIRE HIM!

      Report Post » Mil Mom  
  • conservativewoman
    Posted on December 24, 2011 at 9:00pm

    You should read this if your a parent!
    Places like the YMCA, Head Start, and other child care facilities that are state-funded are very bad environments. They are havens for the children of illegals and welfare recipients.
    My friend worked in a child-care facility that decided to start taking state funds. She said the children of parents who paid a tuition were put in one room without a restroom, and the anchor-babies and welfare children were given the run of the facility and catered to. My friend said the welfare parents came to pick up their children in luxury cars!
    Needless to say, the parents who worked and paid for child care soon removed their children.
    Parents, if you have to have child-care, hire a Nanny or ask a trusted relative to take care of them in your home.
    Since I have a degree in Early Childhood Studies, I had to observe lots of child-care and preschool facilities when I was in college. There is more bad ones than good ones. It is damaging to a child’s development to put them in child-care from morning to evening. I’m sorry but it is true. If a mother can stay home, she should.

    Report Post » conservativewoman  
    • Thevoice
      Posted on December 24, 2011 at 9:41pm

      Good points…Old people as myself would tell you one of the moral elements which at one time created a strong foundation in general for the society and our country . Was the importance that having children meant raising them. But of course with that sacrifice from a stable mother and farther usually comes the fruit of a well rounded adult …And good for some of you younger people sacrificing to do for your children.The rewards will come.

      Report Post » Thevoice  
    • Salamander
      Posted on December 25, 2011 at 9:13am

      And if the mother can’t stay home, the dad should–without prejudice! I was a Mr. Mom in NYC for seven years, then my wife divorced me and painted me as a deadbeat dad! The courts were all too happy to dissolve the marriage, and even ordered legal custody to the mother. The court accused me of trying to use the child to keep our apartment–I said I’d give up physical custody to remove him from the dispute and that I had no interest in removing them from their home! When we couldn’t come to terms, mostly because my lawyer didn’t do his job–the court ordered the divorce, ordered legal custody of our child to the mother and tossed me out on the street. #)(*$&(@* you, court!

      Report Post »  
    • pugsly
      Posted on December 25, 2011 at 11:08am

      I have run a home daycare for 23 years and have provided a very good service to many many wonderful families. It is not really fair to make blanket statements about all daycares and try to scare people. Parents need to be diligent about what kind of care their children are getting. It is just like in the school system if people visited their schools and were much more involved and diligent to what is going on in those places alot of things wouldn’t happen. This society today has a serious problem with abddicating their responsibilities to others. I have had some families that have come through the daycare that if they had their way you,the provider, would be responsible for almost all of their child’s needs.

      Report Post »  
  • LeadNotFollow
    Posted on December 24, 2011 at 8:53pm

    Lawyers, force the YMCA to release the video. The world needs to see this male employee, ignoring a small helpless child in distress.
    Publicly shaming someone is sometimes more punishment than prison time. Still give him the prison time too.

    Report Post »  
  • Small World
    Posted on December 24, 2011 at 8:50pm

    Let this be a warning to mothers to take care of their own children.

    Report Post »  
  • chips1
    Posted on December 24, 2011 at 8:17pm

    And another thing!!!! This crap about sending your children to daycare centers is a result of the womens movement. They bad mouthed the mothers that did in fact stay home and care for their familys and kept shameing them to get jobs and join the work force. It was hard to find a real women and the divorce rate went thru the roof. Family is now one of those Liberal words that have been banned. Well BS on that. The politicians are telling us how much money we have to give them, however the shoe should be on the other foot. We should be telling them how much we are going to give them and they had better not spend more than that or else they are fired and we can get someone else to do their job. WOW!!!!! This story Pissed me off!!!! Liberal Freaks. Gone in 2012!!!!!

    Report Post »  
    • Jezreel
      Posted on December 24, 2011 at 9:03pm

      You are so correct. Kids need to be at home taken care of by their own mothers. Our society has been warped and twisted. Good is evil and evil is good.

      Report Post »  
    • COFemale
      Posted on December 24, 2011 at 9:32pm

      Wow, both of you are way off base and Neanderthals. Not all women can have the luxury to stay home. So what is a woman to do when the “baby daddy” leaves and/or refuses to pay child support?

      When are you guys going to “MAN UP” and take your responsibilities serious?

      Report Post » COFemale  
    • dmforman
      Posted on December 24, 2011 at 9:42pm

      At Cofemale, having children is not a right and should be taken more seriously than it is. Woman of my age (around 40) were told that we could have kids, a career (notice not a job), a husband, and have time for ourselves. It’s BS. IF people lived within their means and didn‘t try to keep up with the Jones’ and people that they see on tv, than many more woman could in deed stay home with their children. Things like 2 cars, cable tvs in every room of the house along with multiple DVD players, DVDs, and video game systems and the games to go with them are not needs.

      My husband and I waited until we could afford to have a child, and have a simple life style, so that I can stay home with my son and be his mom. NO ONE takes care of your child like his mother, not grandmom, not a nanny, not daycare.

      Report Post »  
    • chips1
      Posted on December 24, 2011 at 9:51pm

      COFEMALE:
      Your a NUT!! When someone makes a statement on this post, they aren’t including ALL people. There are exceptions to all things. It’s true that some women must work because of nomerous problems, but the womens movement wants as many to be out in the world because they have interests outside of the family desires. Some women such as Bachmann, have careers in politics, have numerous foster children, and also have time for other things. She knows her limits and gets as much out of life as she possibly can. Many other women are the same way and have chosen different paths. On the other hand, there are the types like the woman with 15 children that says, “someone should pay for this. Every day more and more join the gimme clan. Clean up your own thought process, Lib!!!!

      Report Post »  
    • thekuligs
      Posted on December 24, 2011 at 11:21pm

      It’s sad, but you are correct, the femenist movement destroyed the family unit and I think began the erosion of America. As far as not being able to stay at home; I will admit I got my family the good old fashioned way. As in I got married and THEN got pregant–but after my first couple of kids were born I worked evenings and weekends after my husband came home from work so that I could pay off our debt and build a nest egg. Then I quit. I have been able to stay home with my kids even when we were living off Senior Airman pay because we no longer believe in debt. We have ONE TV, we drive late model vehicles we paid cash for. I think if more people WANTED to raise their children, they could easily change their priorities. Only they choose not to. Yes, I know there are exceptions to everything; but our country is a mess, think of what has lead us there.

      Report Post » thekuligs  
  • hillarie
    Posted on December 24, 2011 at 8:00pm

    I don’t get how parents can leave their young helpless children in the custody of strangers all day. I know people justify and have excuses for it. But would you be hired for a job and not show up? No. Then don’t have a kid and not show up.

    Report Post »  
    • LeadNotFollow
      Posted on December 24, 2011 at 8:45pm

      HILLARIE…. Well said.

      Report Post »  
    • COFemale
      Posted on December 24, 2011 at 9:37pm

      You two are as bad as the two yahoo’s who posted above you.

      Why they put children in daycare is none of your business. As I said some people don’t have the luxury to sit at home and have to work to make ends meet. Until you walk a mile in their shoes, I would keep your mouths shut, you are only making fools of yourselves.

      Report Post » COFemale  
    • dmforman
      Posted on December 24, 2011 at 9:47pm

      @ Cofemale, maybe said people should have waited to have children until they could afford them and stop having them after the first. Having children and being at home with them is the toughest job that I have ever done. I don’t sit home and watch t.v., but play, read, and interact with him all day long. Being a stay at home mom, is way more work and much more rewarding than teaching 30 kids. Woman need to pick better men to be the father of their children and need to wait until they are married to have children. When they can’t afford them, and want to have sex, than they need to use birth control, which is free. Having a child is a choice, and is one that is taken too lightly by many people.

      Report Post »  
    • Mil Mom
      Posted on December 25, 2011 at 2:39am

      @COFemale
      Posted on December 24, 2011 at 9:37pm
      You two are as bad as the two yahoo’s who posted above you.

      Why they put children in daycare is none of your business. As I said some people don’t have the luxury to sit at home and have to work to make ends meet. Until you walk a mile in their shoes, I would keep your mouths shut, you are only making fools of yourselves
      ****
      And I want to point out that the best planning in the world won’t always make it happen. My husband was a self employed farmer and truck driver, when the state informed him we’d have to carry $1Million worth of insurance on his little pick-up & trailer rig (back in the days when customers paid $10- $25 per trip) we put his rig up for sale to live off our farming. Someone liked it a lot and stole the rig, so Since we couldn’t use the money from the sale to liquidate the business, I had to go to work, (any farmer can tell you no family can live off a small single family farm without an outside income. Then Storms hit and took down our barn and put an end to the farming, we made it through some rough years, paid off the debt with insurance money, and were fortunate enough when he got a full time job a family member moved in to help with the kids, but not everyone would have that.

      Report Post » Mil Mom  
    • demint.disciple
      Posted on December 25, 2011 at 9:01am

      @COFemale .. the only person making a fool of themselves is YOU .. As soon as you said “ baby daddy” I and everyone else on this site know exactly who you are.. BTW it is this simple. If you can’t afford to have a child, then don’t, period…

      Report Post » demint.disciple  
  • Darla_K
    Posted on December 24, 2011 at 8:00pm

    I would make sure that I trusted the person watching my kid 100%. It is my job as a parent to make sure that my children are protected at all costs and not left with someone who bumbles around not knowing what is going on. How can you miss a kid with a rope around his neck being pulled around? Something is not right.

    Report Post » Darla_K  
  • chips1
    Posted on December 24, 2011 at 7:56pm

    I also am going to say something some people will take offense to. The kids were playing around and the rope just happened yo accidently was partially across the kids neck. A slight tug could cause that little boo boo and the parents are using words like “flopping around” when the truth is that the kid is being raised to be a weenie. Put the kid in a padded room so he doesn’t accidently scratch his eyes out. Being a parent is always a trial and error job. These parents flunked. Thank God that the Libs will insure complete care from cradle to grave or they would all have boo boos. Cry Babies!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    Report Post »  
  • thekuligs
    Posted on December 24, 2011 at 7:34pm

    I am going to say something that some people are going to take offense with. Things like THIS are the reason we should be raising our own children… among other things.

    Report Post » thekuligs  
    • I_CARRY_1_TOO
      Posted on December 24, 2011 at 7:35pm

      I 100% agree.

      Report Post » I_CARRY_1_TOO  
    • CatB
      Posted on December 24, 2011 at 7:41pm

      I agree also .. .

      Report Post »  
    • BornJewishMuslimByFaith
      Posted on December 24, 2011 at 7:42pm

      Same here. We need to raise our children.

      Report Post »  
    • sndrman
      Posted on December 24, 2011 at 7:49pm

      but i want a big screen tv,a new car,bigger house,nicer clothes,more toys more toys more toys. i‘ll just buy the kids toys and they’ll love me…… well this is not true for all parents i fully understand in this economy sometimes it really does 2 family paychecks….it’s the children that suffer.

      Report Post »  
    • netmail
      Posted on December 24, 2011 at 7:54pm

      Sad to say, a lot of the mothers today are as bad, if not worse, than the one’s who dragged this child around with a rope. There are a huge number of ‘feral children’ being raised by a culture full of self centered animals. If I try to look ahead 20 years, I freak out.

      Report Post »  
    • loriann12
      Posted on December 24, 2011 at 7:57pm

      My husband and I were divorced for 4.5 years and then reconciled. One of the “requirements” of the reconciliation would be that I got to stay home with the kid(s) – we only had one at the time. My son, mentally disabled, was mistreated at a Montessori school after care program. BY THE ADULTS. A worker quit because of his treatment and told me as an anonymous parent (I found out from another worker that quit for the same reason). I totally agree with you. My child was 4-7 during that period, and is now 21 and I’m still home with him.

      Report Post »  
    • UlyssesP
      Posted on December 24, 2011 at 8:01pm

      YMCA? Children? No supervision? What could go wrong?
      “They have everything that you need to enjoy,
      You can hang out with all the boys … “

      Report Post » UlyssesP  
    • RedDawn2012
      Posted on December 24, 2011 at 8:35pm

      More accurately, UllysesP, it’s:

      “They have everything for you MEN to enjoy,
      You can hang out with all the BOYS …”

      Parents: NEVER send your kid to the YMCA! In 1950 I was sent to one in my town in Iowa to learn to swim. There were several men there in swimsuits, but all 20 or so of us little boys in the class had to swim NAKED. Even at age 9 I knew that wasn’t right, and I refused to ever go back. In 1968 at age 27, I stopped off one night at San Francisco and needed a cheap place to sleep, so I opted for the YMCA. OMG! It was a roach-infested hellhole with cupcakes roaming the halls at all hours playing musical rooms – I was scared, mortified, and outraged, all at the same time. I learned my lesson – stay away from the YMCA!

      Report Post » RedDawn2012  
    • Veritas Libertas
      Posted on December 25, 2011 at 1:06am

      @Thekuligs: I agree with you 100%! My wife and I were actually discussing homeschooling our boys this weekend.

      Merry Christmas

      Report Post »  
  • BornJewishMuslimByFaith
    Posted on December 24, 2011 at 7:32pm

    Sometimes I’m ashamed of other people. This was terrible to do this young kid.

    Report Post »  

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