An employee of a West Palm Beach therapy center has been dismissed after surveillance footage appeared to show the staff member hitting a special needs child with a sneaker, raising alarm among parents and prompting calls for stronger protection measures.
The incident took place at Maximum Achievers, a center known for assisting children with special needs. Surveillance cameras inside a therapy room captured the employee hitting a young boy, believed to be nonverbal, on the backside with a sneaker. The video also shows the employee first throwing a ball at the child and then hurling his shoe at the boy from a short distance. For the rest of the recording, the employee is seen playing with the child, tossing the ball back and forth.
Parents whose children attend the center expressed deep concern and disappointment after viewing the footage. Natalie Bovilgliari, whose 4-year-old son receives care at the center, said, “I’m really upset right now. It looks like there’s a lot wrong in this right now, I’m a little taken aback.” She added that most children at the facility, including the boy in the video, have difficulty communicating what happens to them…