GWINNET COUNTY, Ga. — A local daycare is under investigation after an incident involving a 4-year-old student. That student's mom says she was choked by another student and when she confronted the school director, her daughter was kicked out.
"I was extremely upset, I couldn't believe it,' said Ty Bates, the girl's mother.
The bruises around her daughter's neck were painful for Bates to see.
The mother of three says she noticed them after her daughter's father picked her up from Legacy Academy Daycare in Snellville last Friday.
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She says her daughter told her a boy tied yarn around her neck and pulled hard enough to leave marks.
"I definitely think about what could have happened if he didn't stop and especially the fact that teachers didn't see what happened," she said.
Bates tells me she went to the daycare Monday to get answers from the director.
She says she didn't know it would be the last time she would be welcome there.
"Her response was your daughter is not a good fit for the program anymore and they did not need those types of problems," she said.
The daycare's director said Bates decided to dis-enroll her child and sent a statement that reads in part:
"Legacy Academy Snellville is dedicated to providing the very best care for each child… Once we became aware of the alleged incident, we immediately notified our child care licensing agency and are cooperating fully in their investigation."
A Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning spokesperson says an investigation began Wednesday.
In the meantime, Bates said she hoped her daughter could remain in the Pre-K program because it's been hard finding a replacement.
"She asks me every day when can she go back to school," she said.
The daycare director sent a letter home to parents this week about the incident assuring them that the daycare is nationally accredited with a strict supervision policy.