Additional EVSC parents come forward claiming abuse

EVANSVILLE, Ind. (WFIE) - In a 14 News Exclusive Investigation, parents sent a spy camera on a child’s backpack detailing what happened inside a Culver Early Learning Center Classroom. A parent describes what happened as “a day from hell.”

Since that story has aired, the Indiana State Department of Education began an investigation into the EVSC. We have reached out to Ziemer Stayman Weitzel & Shoulders, LLP, the attorneys representing EVSC, and they directed us to the EVSC. We have also reached out to David Smith, EVSC Superintendent, and were directed to the same comment as before which reads:

We reached out to the Indiana Department of Education, EVSC School Board members, Superintendent of EVSC David Smith, and individual employees inside Culver Early Learning Center without a response back.

Dozens of parents have reached out to 14 News to share similar experiences that their children went through at Culver Early Learning Center.

Thomas Ward has a son named Wyatt who was inside the classroom of the spy camera audio.

“In those moments when you’re listening to the audio, you’re like how is it possible that a teacher can act this way? There’s no excuse to treat anyone that way, much less a 4 year old that can’t speak… especially someone as sweet and beautiful as Wyatt.” Ward shares.

Much of what is being said throughout the school day is directed at Wyatt, whose name was omitted from the original story.

“You hear things like ‘Woooooo!, Yeah, take off your diaper. Hooray for potty training, we’re ready for potty training.’ Making fun of my wife who told them we’re starting potty training, which indicates to me that he’s taking off his diaper, and then she yells the words ‘eat it.’” Ward says.

November 9 of 2023 was the school day that was all caught on camera and also the night that Ward and his wife received the audio from inside the classroom.

“I sat, maybe 16 hours listening to the videos, writing the transcript of the videos, listening to things in the background so I could get some context for the videos. So it was a lot of reliving it over and over and over and knowing there was no way that my son could have told me this was ever happening,” Ward shares tearfully.

Alessandra Darr says she was suspicious about how her son Ringo was being treated since the beginning of this school year.

“He would come home with bruises, or his diapers not being used, none of them, his diaper completely soiled. Sometimes it went through his pants. He would seem hungry, and we never got any report,” Darr shares.

Darr and her family were on vacation when friends and family back home in Evansville sent her 14 News’ story about what happened inside a Culver Classroom.

“As soon as I opened it, my heart sank in my stomach because I just knew,” Darr says.

The Darr family arrived back in Evansville from vacation, and Alessandra pulled Ringo from Culver Early Learning Center. She also quit her job.

“I resigned from my job. They understood the reasoning so I could be home with my son. I also sent an email to their enrollment person at Culver, didn’t hear back,” Darr explains.

Phylicia Gill, another parent, was at the doctor a few weeks ago when the doctor asked her how her son Jediah, a previous student of Culver was doing. The doctor had seen our story.

“She pulled it up on Google and on Facebook, and I went home and watched it, and I shared it to all my family members that knew about Jediah’s situation with Culver,” Gill shares.

Jediah went to Culver last school year, and in October of 2022, he came home unable to walk. Gill sent her son to the local hospital, and they didn’t have answers.

“Jediah’s not normal. He’s limping. His limp is getting worse. He’s crying any time I touch his body to clean him up, bathe him, help him do anything. It’s like he’s in excruciating pain,” Gill says.

A week later he was sent to Louisville via ambulance so that Norton Children’s hospital could get better pictures of his bones.

“It showed that there were healing tissues, and I asked her (a doctor) ‘what does that mean?’ And she said that your son had fractures, and I said ‘fractures where?’ She told me the left elbow and the right femur. So this whole time he had broken bones, and I didn’t know, and so that made me even more upset. During this whole process I am contacting his teachers, his therapist that works with Jediah. I’m contacting everyone that works with my son at Culver,” Gill explains.

Gill sought out a lawyer because she says Culver wasn’t giving her any answers. The lawyer advised she reached out to police, and a Department of Child Services investigation began. The case worker called her months later to update her on the status of the case.

“She said, ‘Well, unfortunately we have to close the case.’ I said ‘why?’ She said, ‘because we don’t know who to pin it on. We understand that it happened at the school, but no one is speaking. Everyone at the school is saying nothing happened,’” Gill shares.

Gill brought Jediah’s medical records and information from the Department of Child Services to the interview.

All three parents were strangers before they shared experiences and stories about their children’s time at Culver.

“Originally we didn’t want to do an interview. We’re very private. It’s too important not to. It’s important that people know that it’s not somebody overreacting,” Ward shares.

Tearfully Ward explains that, ”When the story was on TV, you could hear the audio coming through the TV, Wyatt immediately stopped playing and went and crawled in my lap and just laid down.”

“It makes me sad that other people are dealing with this, but it makes me feel like I wasn’t crazy, and I was right with my instincts,” Darr says.

“It’s definitely validating,” Ward says.

“It’s validating 100%,” Darr replies.

“I’m my son’s advocate,” Gill says. “He’s non verbal. I’m not. EVSC, you should do what’s right.”

“I’m fighting for Wyatt. I’m dealing with the EVSC, but I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for the fact that Wyatt is still so clearly affected by it. I’m here today because Wyatt hurts, and it’s important that somebody says something for him,” Ward says.

“If anything they failed him, failed me, and failed a bunch of other kids. I’m not going to be quiet, and I’m going to advocate to the fullest of the extent for my son,” Darr, who quit her job to do so, says.

These parents and others planned a rally before Tuesday’s school board meeting outside EVSC.

“From this rally, from the school board meeting, I’m really hopefully that EVSC sees that’s it’s not going to go unseen anymore, that they have to start doing the right thing,” Ward shares.

Indiana State Representative Becky Cash, who authored House Bill 1073 sat down with 14 News to explain the law further. HB 1073 would require cameras in Special Education Classroom. The bill passed through the house but didn’t make it through the senate floor this legislative session. Cash says because of stories just like this one involving the EVSC, she is determined to fight for this bill again in 2025.

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