A recklessArkansasschool director faces criminal charges after allegedly orchestrating a 'makeshift child fight club.'
Mary Tracy Morrison, 50, the director and owner of the Delta Institute for the Developing Brain and the Engage program in Jonesboro, has been dubbed the 'ringleader' of the alarming scheme byProsecutor Sonia Hagood.
Morrison, two parents with ties to the school and a teacher turned themselves in to police on Monday, Paxton Media Groupreported.
It is unclear how the parents, Kristin Bell, 36, and Michael Bean, 38, and the teacher,Kathrine Lipscomb, 45, were allegedly involved in the chaos.
A judge issued a warrant for their arrests afteran alarming video taken at the school was shared on social media.
The 30-minute clip allegedly depicted a teacher urging a student to strike another kid 'in the private area,' Hagood said.
She insinuated there have been other incidents of this nature occurring under Morrison's watch.
Craighead County Judge David Boling found probable cause to charge all four adults withpermitting child abuse, which is a felony.
Mary Tracy Morrison (pictured), 50, the head of the Delta Institute for the Developing Brain and the Engage program in Jonesboro, has been dubbed the 'ringleader' of the alarming scheme
Morrison is reportedly the founder of Engage, in Jonesboro (pictured) which is an educational institution catered to children with autism
Bean and Bell's lawyer, Bill Stanley, and Morrison's attorney, Paul Ford, believe the affidavit did not include any children actually being injured and requested the charges be reconsidered, KAIT 8reported.
'I can't believe how we have to explain to men how painful it is to be hit in the private area,' Hagood snapped back.
Morrison's bond was set at $250,000, given her leading role in allegedly prompting students to fight.
The judge set Lipscomb's bond at $50,000, but Hagood argued it should have been higher because as an educator, she is a mandated reporter.
Her lawyer, Randel Miller, claimed this was unfair because 'she had no direct involvement,' and was just 'in the room' when the video was filmed.
'Your Honor, the duration of this incident was 30 minutes,' Hagood said in her rebuttal.
'Ms. Lipscomb sat there for 39 minutes. This one sat there the entire time, witnessing the abuse, claiming Lipscomb was seen in the video doing absolutely nothing to keep the kids safe.
Morrison (pictured) posted her $250,000 bond after being arrested on Monday
Two parents from the involved private school were also arrested, but it is unclear how exactly they were involved
'If you had seen what I saw, you would be outraged.'
Bell and Bean's bail payments were each $10,000, Jonesboro Right Now reported. All four of them have since posted bond and left theCraighead County Detention Center.
None of them are allowed back at the school or to contact any of its staff or students until the matter is resolved, Boling ruled.
Hagood had requested for court documents to be sealed for 90 days to avoid victim identification during the investigation's beginning stages.
Boling said he would decide later in the day. It is unclear what he determined was the proper course of action.
Morrison is the founder of Engage, located in Jonesboro, which teaches an educational program catered to children with autism, KAIT 8 reported in 2023.
She had spent decades doing autism research and started Engage to use her findings to help children and their families.
Kathrine Lipscomb, 45, (pictured) is a teacher at the private school, so the prosecutor claimed she should have reported the violence
A reckless Arkansas school director, a teacher and two parents face criminal charges after allegedly orchestrating a 'makeshift child fight club' (stock image of children fighting in school)
'The skilled therapeutic professionals at Engage develop and deliver proven treatments that strengthen each client's executive functioning, academic and social skills,' Engage's Facebook bio reads.
Families across America have reportedly moved to Jonesboro to enroll their children in Morrison's one of a kind school.
Morrison, Lipscomb, Bell and Bean are due back in court on May 22.
DailyMail.com has reached out toStanley, Ford and Miller for comment on behalf of their clients.
