CNN — Two metro Atlanta preschool teachers are facing child cruelty charges after authorities say a live camera feed inside the school captured them abusing children.
A Roswell Police Department news release said Zeina Alostwani, 40, and Soriana Briceno, 19, were taken into custody on Monday after a concerned parent from Parker-Chase Preschool in Roswell, Georgia, contacted police last week. Police say the investigation is ongoing.
The parent said they had logged onto the camera system at the school and witnessed concerning physical contact between Alostwani and Briceno against several children in the classroom, the release stated.
The video clip released by the police department, which is just under 80 seconds long, shows a group of students sitting on the floor inside of a classroom. Approximately 16 seconds into the video a woman can be seen bumping another student in the back with her knee. The other teacher, who is sitting directly in front of the child on the floor, appears to use her finger to push the child’s head back.
Gloria Barghi, who said her 3-year-old son was sitting next to one of the victims, told CNN that she quickly rushed to the school after witnessing the incident on the livestream and demanded the teachers be removed from the classroom.
Barghi said when she arrived at the school, she alerted the front staff about the incident and refused to leave until the teachers were removed. Barghi told CNN she was also the first person to notify the mother of one of the victims about the incident and both demanded to view the recording.
The next day Barghi said that after a school employee confirmed what she had seen and allowed her and one of the victims’ parents to view the recording, one of the victims’ fathers then called police. According to Barghi, every classroom has two livestreams which parents have access to and can view throughout the school day.
“There’s no way I’ll ever trust that school. I think it should be shut down,” Barghi said. “These are people I trusted with my children. It was a gut punch. I felt shock, disgusted and betrayed.”
In an email to parents obtained by CNN, the school said they reported the incident to their licensing agency and Children’s Protective Services and plan to fully cooperate with investigators.
“We were shocked to learn late in the day yesterday that teachers in the Pre-Primary B classroom were reported to have used inappropriate disciplinary actions with children. Our investigation is ongoing as we are taking this matter very seriously,” the school said in the email.
When contacted by CNN, a woman who answered the phone at the Parker-Chase Preschool said there is no statement to provide at this time.
CNN also attempted to reach out to the attorney of the family of one of the victims but has yet to hear back.
Court records show that Alostwani was granted a $75,000 bond. When reached by CNN, her attorney Manal Chehimi said she has no comment on the case at this time.
Briceno was denied bond and remains in the Fulton County jail, court records show. CNN has reached out to her attorney for comment and has not heard back.
