A school director in Arkansas, Mary Tracy Morrison, has been sentenced to 30 days in jail, followed by 120 days of house arrest with electronic monitoring, and nine years of probation. Prosecutors described her as the “ringleader” of an impromptu child fight club.
Morrison, 51, who owns and directs The Delta Institute for the Developing Brain and the Engage program in Jonesboro, admitted guilt on Monday to one charge of permitting child abuse and four charges of contributing to the delinquency of a minor, as reported by KAIT.
Additionally, the court has barred her from any professional roles involving children. She must also relinquish her occupational therapy license along with any other relevant certifications, undergo a mental health evaluation, and adhere to any prescribed treatments.
The arrest of Morrison occurred in April 2025 after a concerned mother informed the Craighead County Sheriff’s Office that her teenage son had experienced both mental and physical abuse while attending the school.
Authorities, armed with a search warrant, acquired video evidence showing Morrison directing a child to sit on the floor, encircled by 18 other juvenile students and herself, according to a probable cause affidavit cited by KAIT.
The affidavit further details that Morrison instructed the surrounding students to place their hands on the child in the center and strike the child with an “unknown object.”
As Morrison verbally berated the child, another student was seen kicking and choking the child.
After the alleged incident, Morrison was observed “giving the juvenile a high five, displaying her pleasure with the student’s actions,” according to the affidavit.
The incident lasted 30 minutes and featured a teacher directing a student to strike a classmate “in the private area,” deputies said.
Following the incident, Morrison “instructed the victim to apologize to all other students” and told the students to never discuss what had happened again, the document stated.
Three other school employees, Michael Bean, 38, Kristin Bell, 36, and Kathrine Lipscomb, 45, were also arrested in connection with the abuse.
Fox News Digital could not immediately reach The Delta Institute for the Developing Brain or the Engage program for comment because no public or operational email address was listed for either organization.
