Day care worker forces siblings to fight, including with chair, Georgia cops say
A day care worker accused of egging on a fight between young siblings is out of a job and facing charges, Georgia deputies said.
Riffat Khalil, 37, was arrested on charges of child cruelty stemming from the July 28 incident at a Discovery Zone Kids center in Evans, according to the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office.
McClatchy News reached out to Discovery Zone Kids center on July 31 and was awaiting a response.
Part of the fight was caught on video, leading to Khalil’s firing, deputies wrote in an incident report obtained by McClatchy News.
Deputies were contacted by the children’s mom, who said she was told to pick up her son and daughter after an incident between them at day care, according to the report.
She said her kids were “very upset” and told her “the teacher Ms. Khalil had made them fight,” deputies said.
Authorities reviewed security footage from the day care showing Khalil prompting the kids — a 6-year-old girl and 9-year-old boy — to fight each other.
In the video, the boy was seen kicking his sister repeatedly as she lay on the ground, according to the report. The girl used a chair as shield, placing it between herself and her brother, video shows, per the report.
Khalil then “forcibly” grabbed the girl, flung her into a chair and shook her multiple times, deputies said, citing surveillance video. At one point, Khalil charged at the girl with the chair, then prompted the girl’s brother to throw it, deputies said.
Deputies said another teacher came in soon after and removed the girl from the classroom.
Evans is about a 10-mile drive northwest from downtown Augusta.
This story was originally published July 31, 2025 at 3:53 PM with the headline "Day care worker forces siblings to fight, including with chair, Georgia cops say."