According to the arrest report, the alleged incident happened on Oct. 3.
Source: (KNOE)
“You never thought that you would get that call that something has happened to your child,” said Ariel Lewis, the mother of Madison James Foster student.
On Oct. 3, Lewis says the principal called her and told her that her four-year-old son had been left in a dark bathroom for thirty minutes as a form of punishment.
“I was crying to myself,” said Mikah Lewis, Pre-K student at Madison James Foster.
According to the arrest affidavit, it says that the child could be heard screaming and crying inside the room.
Lewis says that even now her son has nightmares.
“He’ll jump up screaming and call for me or call for his dad and that’s the most [horrible] thing because you don’t want to wake up and hear your child screaming in his sleep,” Lewis said.
Ouachita Parish Sheriff’s Deputies arrested Melissa Lacomb on Wednesday. She is charged with two felony counts of cruelty to juveniles.
KNOE reached out to Monroe City Schools Superintendent Brent Vidrine and he mentioned in a statement:
“On any report of potential abuse, we contact the Monroe Police Department immediately to have the police conduct the investigation. The teacher has been placed on leave pending the outcome of the investigation.”
Monroe City Schools does have a parent/student contract which allows them to opt-out corporal punishment.
Lewis says she did opt-out and only consented to having her child sit in time out in an open area.
At this point, Lewis says she wants to see more action to be taken so that way this type of punishment doesn’t happen to students again.
Through the state department of education, schools are required to fill out a corporal punishment incidence form anytime an administrator or faculty member uses corporal punishment as a disciplinary measure.
To see the Monroe City Schools student/parent handbook click here .