Local Mother Seeks Answers After Son’s Sudden Removal from Galveston Preschool

Editor’s Note: This story includes allegations made by a parent against Moody Early Childhood Center. KGTX 7 has made efforts to verify key claims and reached out to involved parties for comment. Some information remains unconfirmed, and the school has cited student privacy laws in declining to address specific allegations.

A local mother is demanding answers after her 2-year-old son was abruptly removed from Moody Early Childhood Center, just hours after she paid off a balance to keep him enrolled.

Essence Daugherty said her son rejoined the program on February 27, 2025, after an earlier enrollment under the NCI program ended in fall 2023. Although she applied for a scholarship when that public assistance ended, her request was denied nearly a year later.

Daugherty told KGTX 7 she had no prior issues with the program and received positive feedback from staff about her child’s progress. On his first day back in February, she recalled a staff member saying her son “did really good today, made friends and he will have fun.” While they asked her to address him climbing on cabinets, the next day his teacher reported he played well with classmates.

May 15 Incident

On May 15, Daugherty said she made a $400 cash payment to catch up on past tuition. Later that afternoon, she received a call from the school at 12:24 p.m. asking her to pick up her son immediately. She said staff declined to provide details over the phone.

Before arriving, Daugherty said she contacted her husband and was surprised to learn that a staff member had already visited his workplace. That, she said, raised concern that something serious may have happened.

When she arrived, Daugherty alleges that Director Antonio Ford informed her that her son had been disruptive and could no longer attend the school. She said no prior behavioral concerns had been raised. According to Daugherty, Director Antonio Ford made remarks such as ‘his behavior would land him in jail’ and that she and her husband were ‘unfit parents.

Daugherty said she requested to review surveillance footage from that day but was denied access. She also said that the school’s internal messaging app, used for teacher-parent communication, stopped displaying messages following the incident.

According to Daugherty, her son had eaten all his meals, had two diaper changes, and was described by his teacher that morning as “very cheerful.” Sign-in records shared by Daugherty show that he was checked in that morning and removed from the program by 12:56 p.m.

Policy and Other Parental Reports

After the incident, Daugherty reviewed the school’s Family Handbook and pointed to a policy on page 23, which states that children will not be removed from the program based on behavior alone.

She also said that after she shared her experience online, several other parents contacted her to describe similar situations — including one parent who claimed their child was also removed shortly after a tuition payment. Daugherty said at least seven parents contacted her with similar concerns, but KGTX 7 has only spoken with one of them and has not independently verified the others’ accounts.

Attempts to Obtain Records

According to Daugherty, the officer she spoke with mentioned the school had previous complaints, though KGTX 7 has not confirmed this with the Galveston Police Department. She received a report number and requested physical documentation from the school that Friday, but said she left without receiving any. When she returned the following Monday with police, she was informed she would receive an email with instructions on how to request surveillance footage and incident reports. As of publication, she said that email has not been received.

She intended to speak at the school’s next board meeting but said she has since been issued a trespass notice and is no longer permitted on the property.

Daugherty emphasized that she is not seeking a refund. Her primary goal, she said, is to understand what happened to her son on May 15 and to review any available video footage from that day. She encouraged other parents to come forward if they’ve experienced something similar.

School’s Response

In a written statement to KGTX 7, Moody Early Childhood Center said:

“MECC does not expel students for behavior. MECC will, however, enforce policies in the Family Handbook on page 23 containing the Parent Code of Conduct. According to MECC policy, interactions with MECC staff must be appropriate and respectful and no swearing will be tolerated. The information provided to you is inaccurate. Please also understand that, while MECC is a Texas In-District Charter school—a type of campus charter—and not subject to the same laws as an independent school district, MECC is still subject to federal and state student privacy laws and therefore is unable to comment further.”