A Montana daycare center is under fire after a video surfaced of employees seemingly encouraging two young children to fight.
The disturbing video was posted to Facebook and sent to local media outlets, generating a lot of concern from the public. The video shows two young children pushing and hitting one another with a caption that reads "Fight night already starting."
The video appears to have been recorded and posted to Snapchat by one of the Bibs to Books employees.
On Thursday, Scripps News Billings visited the daycare in search of answers. A letter from the owner, Linda Thomas, had been posted to the front door of the facility, acknowledging the video.
"The video circulating on social media is and never will be acceptable at Bibs to Books," Thomas wrote. "I am incredibly disappointed in the staff members that were found to record this, as fighting should never be encouraged by anyone."
Scripps News Billings left a message for Thomas seeking further comment, but she did not return the call.
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Thomas called daycare employees from other facilities in Billings to cover Bibs to Books on Thursday, after sending employees home. Thomas is currently out, as she battles health problems, but apparently wanted to make sure the kids were cared for.
Bibs to Books was closed at noon on Thursday, which is earlier than usual. The letter also said that the daycare would be closed Friday due to staffing training and was hoping to reopen on Monday.
A daycare worker at the business Thursday told Scripps News Billings that Thomas confirmed that the state is investigating the incident, and the two employees involved in the video have been fired.
"Please know that this was an isolated incident," Thomas added in the letter. "This is not how Bibs to Books runs in the entire time our daycare has been open — 36 years."
Scripps News Billings did speak with the parents of both boys in the video. Both families asked to remain anonymous, but one parent said they had no problem with the fighting in the video. However, they are upset that an employee recorded their children without permission.
Two other families told Scripps News Billings anonymously that they will be pulling their children from the facility after seeing the video.
This story was originally published by Charlie Klepps at Scripps News Billings.
