State investigation records show an Ohio agency could not find proof of alleged misconduct by administrators at Columbus Montessori Education Center.
Janelle Faison recently told WOSU that the school's executive director put her daughter in time-out in a locked room during a tantrum. Doing so could violate state law.
The school issued a statement last week which said the allegations had been “independently investigated and determined to be unfounded by the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services.”
In documents released to WOSU on Wednesday, ODJFS inspectors actually said it was “unable to be determined” whether staffers and administrators failed to use appropriate techniques.
The investigators interviewed staffers and administrators during their visit. Due to differing accounts between the school and the complaintant, ODJFS they couldn’t reach a determination.
In a statement, the school's executive director Jamie Gottesman says, “The dignity and safety of every child is our top priority. Any allegation that a child was placed in timeout in a locked room is categorically false.”
The statement included photos of a room the school refers to as a "Glass Classroom" where parents can observe their children.
"The only reason a child would be in an observation room, with a staff member, would be if it was the closest place to keep a child safe from harming themselves," the statement said.
In the past five years, ODJFS has received four complaints about CMEC that resulted in two inspections.
Read the ODJFS inspection report here:
Columbus Montessori Complaints by WOSU on Scribd
