Mississippi Day Care Worker Fired For Scaring Kids In Halloween Mask

Four daycare workers in Mississippi were fired after viral videos showed one worker scaring children with a Halloween mask.

Viral Facebook videos depict a daycare worker at Lil’ Blessings Child Care & Learning Center wearing a “Scream” mask and yelling “clean up” while chasing a child around a classroom, the Monroe Journal reports.

Another video shows children crying at a table as a masked worker stalks them and gets close to a toddler’s face.

The Monroe County Sheriff’s Office and the Mississippi State Department of Health are investigating the incident, according to the newspaper.

Brenda Honeycutt, who dropped her granddaughter off at daycare Thursday, told WTVA-TV she would have fired the workers “on the spot” once she learned of the fears.

“That would be my reaction to it if my staff did something like that,” said Honeycutt, who believed the daycare owner had “nothing to do” with the videos.

“I know [the owner] enough to know that she’s not going to let this go on and know about it,” she said.

Keegan Hayes, whose daughter is in one of the videos, told the news station that security cameras and more leadership and management skills will be needed to rebuild trust in the day care.

Sheila Sanders, owner of the daycare for the past 20 years, told the Monroe Journal she learned of the videos Wednesday and the former workers’ behavior “is not tolerated.”

“I wasn’t here at the time and I didn’t know they were doing that,” said Sanders, who has worked at the daycare since 1987. “I don’t condone that and never have. I just want to say he was taken care of.”

Sanders said one of the videos was taken on Tuesday and another was taken last month.

Kimberly Smith, whose child is in one of the videos, told the newspaper that she knows Sanders was unaware of the situation.

“The witch hunt that’s going on for her and the others who are still here really needs to stop,” Smith said.

“Was the situation that happened terrible? Absolutely. But should this day care be closed and others be villains who are still here, absolutely not.’