Judgment favors parents in lawsuit claiming teachers abused kids at Fairbanks childcare center [Video]

FAIRBANKS, Alaska (KTVF) – A November 2023 lawsuit that alleged teachers physically abused kids at a Fairbanks childcare center is nearing a $1.4 million resolution.

“I mean, it’s closure. It’s closure,” said Amy Schrum, the attorney representing the plaintiffs, who is also the mother of a child in the case.

A group of parents filed the lawsuit against Zion Lutheran Church and the Open Arms Child Development Center, which the church runs. The original complaint alleged that multiple teachers at the Open Arms physically abused at least six children over a four-year period between 2017 and 2021.

Fairbanks Superior Court Judge Brent Bennett granted a stipulated judgment in July that ruled in favor of the plaintiffs on claims involving the parents, according to Schrum, splitting a $200,000 payout between them and including a finding of fault against the defendants.

Settlements reached on behalf of the six children — each in …