Investigation under way at Head Start

SIKESTON -- A temporary closing of the Sikeston Head Start Center and a lay off of its employees has left several parents and teachers scratching their heads.

"We are in the process of investigating some credible allegations made by parents against the staff at Sikeston Head Start," said Vonnie Hays-Adams, executive director for Delta Area Economic Opportunity Corporation in Portageville.

DAEOC, which oversees the Head Start program, is addressing four major parent allegations and one natural disaster, Hays-Adams said. These issues are federal Head Start licensing and Missouri Group Day Care Center violations -- and some are both, she said.

"Two weeks ago our plumbing in our building backed up, for whatever reason, and we had to send the children home because we can't have sewer gases and water all over our Head Start Center," Hays-Adams said.

"We had to get clearance of a safe and sanitary environment and we have to keep an ongoing monitor of that situation to make sure we don't have any follow-up problems such as everything getting wet and moldy."

In addition to the natural disaster, in one allegation a teacher was involved in a medical issue. Due to Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, or HIPAA laws, Hays-Adams said she can't give details, but it was a medication issue with one of the children.

Two other allegations were about classroom behavior by two different children. There were things going on that are inappropriate in the classroom, Hays-Adams said.

The final issue was not abiding by state day care licensing rules in transportation, she said.

"We have a hand-to-hand policy, which means the staff has to get the children off the bus and walk them to the hand of their caregiver. We had several parents witness this wasn't happening," Hays-Adams said, adding it wasn't just one child, it may be whole bus loads of children.

Given the magnitude of complaints, DAEOC decided to investigate, Hays-

Adams said. Since the Sikeston Head Start has a staff of about 30, not all of the children or parents know teachers' names but they may know what they look like, she pointed out. So initially DAEOC wasn't certain who would be involved, Hays-Adams said.

"Our strategy was to lay everybody off until we have had a chance to talk to our parents and staff," Hays-Adams said.

Last Thursday DAEOC had a meeting with its Center staff and informed them they would be laid off indefinitely. Many of the teachers were stunned, Hays-

Adams said.

A source who spoke on the condition of anonymity said: "The teachers had a meeting at 4:30 p.m. Thursday and were told to cancel those college classes they were enrolled in and told they would be off until mid-March. They were told when they got called back, if they got called back, it would be in mid-

March and Head Start would be in its new center (on South West Street). The teachers aren't supposed to talk to each other and they're not allowed on the school premises either."

On Friday Head Start sent a note home with all students who attend the center, explaining to parents the situation with the staff and saying it had to investigate, Hays-Adams said. They were told school would be closed for part-day/part-year students on Monday and indefinitely thereafter. However, full-day/full-year students were given special accommodations so they could return to school Monday since their parents work full-time or attend college.

On Tuesday, 120 of the 200 enrolled students were back in school and some of the teachers who were called back also returned. The Center is using some of the existing staff as well as some of the substitute teachers in order to operate according to Missouri Day Care licensing, Hays-Adams said.

Darin Preis, director of the Missouri Head Start Collaboration Office in Columbia, said although he doesn't know the specifics, generally speaking, there is nothing wrong with DAEOC addressing the allegations.

"Head Start is required to follow federal Head Start performance standards. If the management team identifies a situation where performance standards aren't being met, then they have to address that," Preis said.

Sikeston Head Start is going through a federal review right now and it's a pretty stressful week for them, Preis said.

"The whole point of the review is to take a look at program and see if any issues need to be worked out," Preis said.

Sikeston Head Start investigations will be done internally by Hays-Adams, Head Start Director Kara Amos and senior management team members as well as by outside sources such as the Department of Health and Social Services, which is in charge of investigating complaints in DAEOC's service area.

"We just want the community of Sikeston to know we are doing our best to get the Center up and running," Hays-Adams said. "Our first and foremost priority is to provide a safe and conducive environment to learning, and we feel that will happen within the next few days."

However, it could be quite lengthy and that's why, for some of them, it might be mid-March or never (before staff come back), Hays-Adams said about the investigation. She estimated four or five employees will be terminated by the end of the investigation and said DAEOC will announce when final decisions are made.

The Center will have additional classes open by Thursday or Friday, bringing enrollment up to 160, Hays-Adams said. Parents will be notified by phone from staff.

"The staff there is very dedicated," Hays-Adams said about Head Start. "We have a few people who simply haven't followed the rules and have endangered the lives of the children."