Mother claims son's head stomped at Jacksonville day care

Day care owner says there was only a minor tussle between two boys

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A Jacksonville mother is calling for a state investigation into a Northside day care after her 8-year-old boy was hospitalized with a head injury.

The mother, whom we’ll refer to in this story as Jenny, said she was picking up her son Friday from Brighter Futures Learning Center on Lem Turner Road when she witnessed the unthinkable.

“I see a boy just stomping him in the face,” she told News4Jax on Monday. “Punching him and stomping him and stomping him, so immediately I went berserk.”

Jenny said her son was having an asthma attack and complaining of head pain, so she drove him to UF Health Jacksonville, where he was given breathing treatments and diagnosed with a head injury.

On Monday, News4Jax stopped by the Brighter Futures location to speak with the owner. She disputed the mother’s version of events, saying there was only a minor tussle over a game of basketball.

Incidentally, the mother of the other child involved contact News4Jax after the story aired. She too said there was no truth to what the original mother claimed.

Jenny isn’t convinced, though. She has filed reports with the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office and the Department of Children and Families. News4Jax has requested copies of those reports.

“Just imagine you being a mom and you see this big kid stomping your kid in the head,” she said. “A little girl (in South Carolina) just died from that. You know what I’m saying? That’s unacceptable.”

The case she’s referring to is that of Raniya Wright, a fifth grade student from Waltersboro, South Carolina, who died March 27 -- two days after the 10-year-old was injured in a fight at school.

Jenny said her son wasn’t bruised or bleeding after Friday’s incident, but she noted that he was diagnosed with a mild concussion and had an asthma attack in the car afterward.

“I was so mad,” she said. “I’m so angry about that because, even if she couldn’t see, you should have enough people out there watching (the children).”