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Judge orders state to turn over documents regarding license revocation for Prairieville daycare

5 years 9 months 3 weeks ago Wednesday, June 06 2018 Jun 6, 2018 June 06, 2018 6:03 PM June 06, 2018 in The Investigative Unit
Source: WBRZ

BATON ROUGE  - A Division of Administrative Law judge ordered the State Department of Education to turn over documents involving an investigation it conducted into a daycare that had its license revoked this year. 

Since the revocation, the owners of Alphabet Soup daycare in Prairieville said they have had trouble getting information from the state. The State Department of Education regulates daycare facilities and revoked Alphabet Soup's license in February, citing 74 deficiencies over a two-year period. The state said one of the most egregious complaints, was over-medicating a child.

"Department of licensing made it seem like we all but killed a kid," Traci Tennyson said. "We did not. The mother changed the form then told the inspector she never altered the form. You can clearly see where the form was altered," referring to paperwork about the child's medication.

Since the daycare's license was revoked, the state has repeatedly paid unannounced site visits and stopped paying for low-income children to attend. Tennyson said she believes her center was targeted after she began voicing concern surrounding the way daycares are inspected. She said she met with lawmakers and urged them to create regulations that require inspectors have some form of daycare experience. It was shortly after that when unannounced site visits began according to Tennyson.

"We are allowed to stay open during the appeal," Tennyson said. "We are technically under the umbrella of Department of Education. We don't have our license because they've revoked it. But we are kind of in purgatory."

Today, the state said that it would comply with deadlines.

The owners of the daycare said when the state revoked their license there were about 200 kids at the facility. Today there are 130 kids.

"I have peace about this that it's going to be ok," Tennyson said. "That's all I can go off of."

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