Abuse in daycare: Congress can affirm parents' right to transparency
In 2018, Ariel Murphy dropped off her two-month-old infant son, Kairo, at a daycare center in McKinney, Texas. Ariel later found bruises on Kairo's body.
Despite vague excuses from the daycare employees she had trusted to care for her son, gut instinct took over. Ariel brought Kairo to the doctor. Doctors revealed that Kairo had suffered several broken bones. This would have put his life in jeopardy, had Ariel not followed her mother's instinct that told her something was indeed very wrong.
America's parents deserve to have the peace of mind that, when they drop their children off at daycare, they will be kept safe. Parents also deserve to know that they have recourse and will be met with transparency if they suspect something is wrong. Above all, children should be free from abuse when they are at daycare.
Soon after Kairo received medical attention, Ariel contacted the local authorities, and a subsequent police investigation revealed that the same 'caregiver' entrusted to look after Kairo had also physically abused eight other infants. This was laid bare by the daycare center's security camera footage. Despite her concerns, the daycare center had refused to show Ariel this footage. Only her stubborn persistence and a lengthy police investigation brought these despicable acts to light.
Ariel and the families of the other children who were physically abused are still grappling with the emotional toll this has taken.
Ariel worked with Texas state-elected officials to get the Kairo and Kids Act passed at the state level. The law guarantees parents access to security footage from daycare centers if they believe their child has been abused. Sadly, many states still do not have similar laws on the books to ensure transparency for parents and safety for children when they are at daycare. In the digital age, it should be even easier to share security footage compared to previous decades — there is no reason parents shouldn't have access when it comes to knowing their children are safe.
Congress is working in a bipartisan fashion to pass similar legislation at the federal level. The recently introduced Kairo Act would ensure that if a child is injured at daycare and security footage of the incident exists, then the parents of the child have the right to view that footage. This simple protection would not only discourage abusers in the first place but would also ensure that parents can accurately assess the need for medical care and allow for earlier detection of abuse.
Importantly, the McKinney, Texas, daycare center where Kairo was abused, tried to shield their employee from scrutiny when it was clear she displayed a pattern of abuse. We must stop child abusers, and the Kairo Act prioritizes parental rights and child safety to prevent such incidents in the future. Thankfully, in Ariel and Kairo's case, the perpetrator is now behind bars. But if it were not for Ariel Murphy raising the alarm and spurring elected officials to act, the daycare employee would have continued to physically abuse children.
Transparency for parents is crucial when it comes to the people they entrust to care for their children. Oftentimes, as in Kairo's case, children are too young to be able to explain the abuse they are suffering. Therefore, parents need to have swift recourse if they suspect something is amiss. When it comes to children, Congress has a duty to keep them safe from harm.
Pat Fallon represents Texas' 4th Congressional District. He is a member of the House Oversight and Accountability, Armed Services and Intelligence committees.
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