Emily Brown
A mum whose two-year-old son was scared by a nursery worker in a ghostly mask has argued that the staff members should be sent to prison for their actions.
The incident took place at Lil' Blessings Child Care & Learning Center in Mississippi, where mum Katelyn Johnson had sent her son to be taken care of during the day.
Footage recently emerged from the nursery which showed a member of staff wearing a Ghostface mask from the film Scream and shouting at the children, saying things like 'you must be good!' as the children ran and screamed.
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Five nursery workers ended up being charged with child abuse after the footage went viral, but in an interview with TMZ, Johnson expressed belief that they should be put behind bars.
The mum claimed that a felony charge would be 'appropriate', telling the publication: "There was inadequate supervision. They were traumatising those children and some of those children are old enough to communicate and talk through those feelings and some of them aren’t. And there is no telling with those children being so young when we will see that trauma surface."
Johnson claimed her own son 'cannot communicate what is going on through his head' as he is only two years old, so he can 'only tell [her] through reaction'.
Following the events at the nursery, the mum said her son has been struggling to go to bed at night and is regressing in his potty training; a behaviour she believes is the result of his strong reaction to the mask.
She stressed she would 'like to see [the workers] serve some jail time', adding that she would be satisfied with a sentence 'anywhere from six months to a year' behind bars.
The mum further claimed that the footage was just a small part of wider goings on at the nursery. However, Johnson also said that she's not considering filing a lawsuit because she believes the women involved in the video have done enough already not to be rehired, and that they won't be able to pay any damages that would be awarded.
However, Johnson claimed that other parents involved in the matter want to wait and see what happens with the criminal case before deciding on legal action.
Until then, she is focused on helping her son to get over his fears using positive reinforcement, relying on a sound machine and night light to try and help him sleep and reassure him that their home and their family are a safe place.
Rather than returning her son to the nursery, Johnson has decided to have him be supervised at a family friend's home during the day.
Tyla has attempted to reach out to Lil' Blessings Child Care & Learning Center for comment.