The preschool employee who the state confirmed tied up a 2-year-old with masking tape because she wouldn't take a nap at the Centerpointe Christian Preschool has been excluded from all licensed care facilities, according to the California Department of Social Services.
In a letter dated Monday, March 11, Angela Calcagno of Livermore is not allowed in any licensed child day care or residential facility and her presence "constitutes a threat to the health and safety of the clients in care."
Calcagno, who hasn't yet been reached for comment, has 15 days to appeal the state's citation.
In a separate letter, Centerpointe was ordered by the department to not allow Calcagno at their facility and that she could not have any contact with clients.
Though Centerpointe has declined to comment on Calcagno directly, church officials said the employee responsible for the taping quit before anyone knew about the incident and before the investigation started on March 4.
Calcagno started working at Centerpointe in June 2008 and is a student at Cal State East Bay studying psychology, according to a staff profile on the Centerpointe website.
"I feel truly blessed to get to be a part of so many amazing children’s lives on a daily basis and be part of such a wonderful preschool," Calcagno wrote in the profile.
(Related: Preschool Cited After 2-Year-Old Tied Up for Refusing to Nap)
The incident came to light when Calcagno showed a photo she had taken of the bound child sitting on a cot to her former colleagues at a social gathering, according to Centerpointe.
The girl, a child of a teacher at the school at the time, wasn't physically harmed, according to church officials, but Pleasanton Police are investigating.
The church says it will shut down the school for about five days starting Friday for training and to review procedures.
“We are appalled and shocked that such an incident, if proven to be true, took place. Every human person made in the image of God, all of the children in our care, deserve the highest degree of respect and protection from any action that dehumanizes them,” said Pastor Mike Barris in a statement released to the media Monday afternoon. Watch a video of Barris talking about the incident at the church Tuesday morning here.
