SPARTANBURG COUNTY, S.C. (WSPA) – A Spartanburg County daycare worker has been charged after a 15-month-old was severely burned while in her care.
On August 10, the worker, identified as Madison Morrow, 26, of Spartanburg, had been watching the child in the one-year-old class at Calvary Christian Academy.
7NEWS spoke with the mother of the 15-month-old who said that she received a call from the daycare director who said they needed to take her child to the emergency room following an incident.
Once the mother got to the emergency room, she found out that her son had been “burned from the bottom of his butt to his ankle”.
The child was then taken by ambulance to the Medical University of South Carolina where he had two surgeries and is expected to have more.
The mother said the burn was caused by the “misuse of a bottle warmer”.
Following an investigation, deputies arrested and charged Morrow with unlawful place of a child at risk of or causing harm or willfully abandon the child.
Morrow was taken to the Spartanburg County Detention Center and given a $5,000 bond and has a hold for home detention. When she is released she will have to wear an ankle monitor.
Calvary Christian Academy released the following statement:
The safety and well-being of our students are our top properties. Immediately upon learning of the incident, school staff and emergency responders were on the scene to provide necessary care and support. We are fully cooperating with local authorities as they conduct their investigation to determine the circumstance surrounding the incident. We take out responsibility to our kids very seriously and are taking significant steps to ensure their safety.
Out of respect for the privacy of the students and the family, we will not be providing any further details about the incident at this time. We ask for your understanding ng and patience as we work through this difficult decision situation. We ask you to join us in operating for the family.
Scott Pastor, Senior Paster at Calvary Baptist Church
The Department of Social Services has cited the daycare in the past for multiple violations. Below you will find the church’s response to those violations:
We want to address recent concerns raised about DSS (Department of Social Services) reporting and its impact on daycares. The current DSS reporting system can sometimes result in vague and misleading violations, leading to difficulties for daycares to defend themselves publicly. We feel it is important to clarify certain instances where violations have been labeled, and shed light on the true circumstances.
We would like to provide specific examples to illustrate our point:
- Violation 11-2-22: DSS issued two “HIGH” violations, one for lacking a staff member’s high school diploma on file and the other for a missing TB test result. These administrative oversights, while serious, do not in any way compromise the safety or care provided to the children.
- Violation 12-2-22: DSS labeled a violation as “HIGH,” citing that babies must sleep on their backs in their cribs. However, this particular instance involved a baby who was capable of rolling over. Our attentive staff had already taken steps to address this situation, but the DSS worker’s observation occurred before the correction was fully implemented.
- Violation 12-2-22: Another “HIGH” violation was reported due to a missing high school diploma of a former employee. This, again, pertains to administrative documentation rather than a direct safety concern.
- Violation 12-2-22: A “MEDIUM” violation was issued for a trash can not being labeled as “DIAPERS ONLY.” While we acknowledge the importance of proper labeling, this minor oversight does not reflect any compromise to the safety of the children.
We wish to reassure the public and our community that we have always been committed to providing a safe and nurturing environment for all the children entrusted to our care. This unfortunate incident has prompted us to take immediate and comprehensive steps to enhance our operations and safety protocols:
