Autistic children forced to fight each other in a 30-minute classroom brawl while teachers coached them on how to hit other kids in their “private areas” – sounds like a bad movie plot, but it’s happening right here in America at a private school for children with special needs.
At a Glance
- Four Arkansas private school staff arrested for running a “makeshift child fight club” at a school for autistic children
- Mary Tracy Morrison, the school’s director, was identified as the “ringleader” and given a $250,000 bond
- Video evidence shows a teacher instructing students to hit each other inappropriately during a 30-minute organized fight
- All four adults face felony charges of permitting child abuse and are prohibited from contacting the school or students
Special Needs School Turned Fight Club
Just when you think you’ve heard it all, along comes a story that makes you question humanity. Four staff members at an Arkansas private school for autistic children have been arrested for allegedly organizing what prosecutors are calling a “makeshift child fight club.” Mary Tracy Morrison, the director and owner of the Delta Institute for the Developing Brain and its Engage program, stands accused as the ringleader of this disturbing operation. Morrison isn’t just any school administrator – she’s someone who built her career on autism research and founded this very institution to supposedly help children with special needs.
“makeshift child fight club” – Prosecutor Sonia Hagood.
Morrison, along with two parents, Kristin Bell and Michael Bean, and a teacher, Kathrine Lipscomb, turned themselves in after evidence emerged of their involvement. This isn’t some misunderstanding or playground scuffle that got out of hand. Court documents reveal that video evidence shows a teacher actively coaching children to hit each other in inappropriate ways during organized fights that reportedly lasted around 30 minutes. Because nothing says “quality education” like teaching vulnerable children with special needs how to physically assault one another, right?
The Criminal Charges and Court Proceedings
Judge David Boling has charged all four adults with permitting child abuse, a felony offense that carries serious consequences. Morrison’s bond was set at an eye-popping $250,000, while teacher Kathrine Lipscomb faces a $50,000 bond. Prosecutors actually argued Lipscomb’s bond should be higher given her position as a mandated reporter – you know, those professionals legally obligated to report suspected child abuse rather than orchestrate it. Meanwhile, parents Bell and Bean received bonds of $10,000 each, and all four have managed to post bond and leave detention.
“I can’t believe how we have to explain to men how painful it is to be hit in the private area” – Hagood.
In a move that would be laughable if it weren’t so infuriating, defense attorneys for Bean, Bell, and Morrison tried arguing that the charges should be reconsidered because the affidavit supposedly didn’t show any children being injured. Let that sink in. They’re essentially saying, “Sure, we may have organized fights between autistic children and told them to hit each other in sensitive areas, but nobody got hurt, so what’s the big deal?” Judge Boling, thankfully, wasn’t buying it. All four defendants are prohibited from returning to the school or contacting staff or students until the case is resolved. They’re due back in court on May 22.
A Betrayal of Trust and Responsibility
What makes this case particularly disturbing is the betrayal of trust it represents. Parents entrusted their vulnerable children to these “professionals” – people who held themselves out as experts in caring for children with autism. Morrison herself has a background in autism research and started the Engage program specifically to apply her findings. Instead of creating a safe learning environment, these educators allegedly used their positions of authority to subject children to organized violence for what appears to be their own twisted entertainment.
Prosecutor Sonia Hagood suggested there were multiple such incidents under Morrison’s supervision, painting a picture of systemic abuse rather than a one-time lapse in judgment. The courts have sealed documents for 90 days to protect victim identities – a small mercy for the children and families caught up in this nightmare. Meanwhile, the school community is left reeling, and parents nationwide are left wondering what other horrors might be occurring behind closed doors at the institutions they trust with their children.
In a country where we can’t seem to agree on much these days, surely we can all concur that turning a special needs classroom into “Fight Club” crosses every conceivable line of decency and professional conduct. The most vulnerable among us deserve protection, not exploitation. As this case moves forward, let’s hope justice is swift and severe for anyone found guilty of such unconscionable behavior.
