the girl's twin sister saw the abuse happen.
A US Indian former daycare worker is accused of sexually assaulting at least 12 young children.
Tulsi Patel is accused of abusing the children within a two-week period at Kids ‘R’ Kids in July 2024 in Alpharetta, Georgia.
She was arrested and spent six months in jail as she awaited trial.
Patel was released in January 2025 after she posted a $75,000 bond along with $3,000 in pretrial conditions.
The criminal case against Patel is pending.
Lawsuits filed by two families in October claimed Patel sexually abused children in front of their classmates.
The families, who each have four-year-old daughters, alleged classmates “were forced to watch” the separate assaults that were captured on CCTV on July 22 and July 25.
In a statement on October 22, Patel’s defence attorney Mike Jacobs said:
“We look forward to our day in court.”
The parents of the two four-year-olds are suing Patel, Kids ‘R’ Kids and another daycare, Cornerstone Schools, where the lawsuits say Patel previously worked.
According to the lawsuits, Angela Martin, who was the president of Cornerstone Schools, knew Patel abused another child but never alerted law enforcement.
Martin was arrested and charged with failure to report and reckless conduct.
The lawsuits said: “Cornerstone and Martin were aware of previous abuse at their facility and did nothing to stop the abuse from happening again by their former employee Patel at Kids ‘R’ Kids.”
Sasha Vinson, the chief operating officer of Kids ‘R’ Kids, said:
“We acknowledge the receipt of legal documents pertaining to the ongoing matter involving Tulsi Patel, a former teacher at a Kids ‘R’ Kids school who was accused of child abuse, earlier this year.
“The recent allegations against Ms Patel, who was employed at a Kids ‘R’ Kids franchisee location for less than two weeks, are deeply troubling and we are cooperating fully with all legal proceedings to ensure that justice is served.”
Ms Vinson also said Tulsi Patel was hired by Kids ‘R’ Kids “as a result of Cornerstone’s failure to report” abuse accusations involving Patel at Cornerstone schools, and after she passed “state-mandated background checks”.
In the July 22 case, one girl was asleep at the daycare academy when Patel “allegedly inappropriately penetrated” her while she was underneath a blanket, next to her twin sister.
The lawsuit said the girl’s twin sister saw the abuse happen.
On July 25, another girl told her father that her “private area was in pain” when he picked her up from Kids ‘R’ Kids.
The child described how Patel inappropriately touched her while “(Patel) had (the girl) on her lap”.
The families’ attorney N John Bey said:
“The trauma these children have endured will have life-long repercussions.”
In her statement, Ms Vinson said Kids ‘R’ Kids “prioritises the well-being of children above all else” and that this was “exhibited by our franchisee reporting this incident immediately upon learning of it”.
She added: “This school has been open for almost 20 years and we have processes (including background checks) and procedures in place to mitigate the risk of something like this from happening, including our school cameras that will always be there to remind teachers that their actions are being watched.”
With their lawsuits, the families demand jury trials and seek to recover an unspecified amount in damages.
Mr Bey said: “These families are seeking financial resources to ensure their children can access the long-term care needed to address the physical, emotional, and psychological damage caused by the abuse.
“Additionally, they hope these lawsuits send a message that institutions responsible for the care of children must prioritise their safety at all costs.”
Tulsi Patel is facing a total of 15 charges. This includes three counts of aggravated child molestation, five counts of child molestation, one count of cruelty to children (1st degree) and nine counts of simple battery.
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