An Arkansas school official has been handed a 30-day jail term, followed by 120 days of house arrest under electronic surveillance, and nine years of probation. Prosecutors allege she orchestrated an improvised child fight club.
Mary Tracy Morrison, aged 51, who owned and managed The Delta Institute for the Developing Brain and the Engage program in Jonesboro, admitted guilt on Monday to charges of allowing child abuse and contributing to juvenile delinquency on four counts, as reported by KAIT.
The court further barred her from any professional engagement with children, mandated the forfeiture of her occupational therapy license and related certifications, and ordered a mental health evaluation with adherence to all prescribed treatments.
Mary Tracy Morrison admitted to enabling child abuse and contributing to juvenile delinquency on four occasions. (Craighead County Sheriff’s Office)
Her arrest came in April 2025 after a concerned mother informed the Craighead County Sheriff’s Office that her teenage son had experienced mental and physical abuse at the institution.
Deputies, equipped with a search warrant, discovered video evidence showing Morrison directing a child to sit on the floor encircled by 18 other juveniles and herself, as detailed in a probable cause affidavit, according to KAIT.
The affidavit said that Morrison told the other students to put their hands on the child in the center and hit the child with an “unknown object.”
Mary Tracy Morrison was arrested last year after a mother told the Craighead County Sheriff’s Office that her teenage son reported being mentally and physically abused at school. (Craighead County Sheriff’s Office)
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.
Three other school employees were also arrested in connection with the abuse. (Craighead County Sheriff’s Office)
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.
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