New details: Cincinnati Recreation employee fired, indicted after child hurt at rec center

A Cincinnati Recreation Commission employee who was fired in December for shoving a non-verbal child in the center's care causing him to fall and hit his head is also facing criminal charges.

The city released public records related to the Dec. 20 incident at the Sayler Park Recreation Center this week. Yanna Harris, 28, was indicted on a misdemeanor charge of child endangering on Jan. 18.

The child suffered a concussion, according to court records.

If convicted, Harris faces up to six months in jail and up to a $1,000 fine. Her attorney, Sam Heller, declined to comment.

Another part-time employee was also fired after she was seen on video not offering any assistance after the child was hurt.

"We have zero tolerance for staff putting their hands on kids," said Cincinnati Recreation Commission Director Daniel Betts. "The reality is citizens, parents and guardians trust us to take care of their loved ones, their kids. I take that, as my staff does, very seriously."

Betts said all employees are trained in de-escalation techniques.

"When we follow our training we won’t find ourselves striking out or lashing out at kids," Betts said. "There was negligence, not just from the person who pushed the kid on the ground, but it appeared a couple of part-time people were on their phones and just didn’t come to staff or the patron's aide. It is unconscionable. You don’t just ignore it."

The investigation also found other issues that needed addressing. It showed staff was not paying attention to children and spending time on their cell phones, which is not permitted.

The Cincinnati Recreation Commission runs 23 recreation centers.

The Enquirer first asked about the incident involving the child Jan. 31 after receiving a tip, but records − including the employee's name − were not released until April 1.

Harris is a therapeutic recreation specialist and worked individually with the child, who Enquirer news partner FOX19 has reported has Down Syndrome. The child was not named, nor was his age provided because he is a minor.

Harris was fired for using an "inappropriate method of force" when the child refused to go to the bathroom. The incident report says the child refused to get up, prompting Harris to shove the child to the ground, resulting in his hitting the back of his head on the floor.

Problems cited: An incident report was not written until the child's mother reached out to the center's director; the child's mother was not called immediately after the injury and proper concussion protocol was not followed. And when the child's mother texted Harris the night of the incident because she was concerned her son might have a concussion because he had fallen asleep at dinner, Harris told the mother her son was probably just tired from playing, the report said.

It wasn't until the child's mother sent a Facebook message two days later to the director of the Sayler Park Recreation Center that an investigation was launched. The report shows the incident was caught on video camera and notes Harris' account of what happened does not match what was seen on the video.

After an internal review was launched based on the mother's complaint, city officials notified Hamilton County Job and Family Services about what had happened.

Harris is next due in court April 18.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Cincinnati Recreation employee charged with child endangering