ALPHARETTA, Ga. — Two families are now taking civil action against the two daycares that hired a worker who is accused of sexually assaulting preschoolers.
The worker, Tulsi Patel, remains behind bars months after this was discovered.
Alpharetta police said that there were 12 victims at the Kids ‘R’ Kids on Webb Bridge Road that the suspect victimized in just the two-week period that she worked at the daycare over the summer of 2024.
“She does still talk about it a little bit,” one of the victim’s fathers said.
It’s a parent’s worst nightmare. And for the father of one of the 4-year-old little girls who was sexually assaulted by a teacher at the Alpharetta Kids ‘R’ Kids, it’s been life-changing.
“Right now, all I can trust is family, that’s what I feel like,” the father said.
They are one of two families who have now filed a lawsuit against Patel, Kids ‘R’ Kids, and Patels’ former employer, Cornerstone Schools in Cumming.
Cornerstone is where Patel previously worked and where the president, Angela Martin, was charged with failure to report in August after investigators said she didn’t report a sexual assault reportedly involving Patel while she worked there.
“It was anger, it was confusion, it was why wouldn’t you report this. This could’ve been prevented,” the victim’s father said. “It shows that you didn’t care about the kids.”
“There wasn’t any oversight,” said attorney John Bey, who is representing the two families.
One of the lawsuits said in one family there are twin girls, where it’s believed one was sexually assaulted and the other one witnessed it.
In a statement Monday, Kids R Kids said, in part: “As a result of Cornerstone’s failure to report these allegations, Ms. Patel was hired at Kids ‘R’ Kids and passed all state-mandated background checks in connection with her employment at Kids ‘R’ Kids.”
But Bey believes Kids R Kids is responsible also.
“You had someone new, you left them alone with 4-year-olds, we all know that’s a vulnerable class of folks,” Bey said. “Somebody’s got to be watching the cameras.”
“If there’s cameras there and kids are getting sexually assaulted on the camera over and over again, that’s obviously a failure to the system,” Bey added.
But the parents behind the lawsuit, hoping beyond the criminal system, their lawsuit will lead to change.
“Get the message spread so it doesn’t happen to any other kid,” the father said.
McCowan reached out to Cornerstone Schools president Angela Martin but did not hear back.
Kids ‘R’ Kids said they remain fully committed to justice for the families involved.
Here is Kids ‘R’ Kids full statement:
“We acknowledge the receipt of legal documents pertaining to the ongoing matter involving Tulsi Patel, a former teacher at Kids ‘R’ Kids who was accused of child abuse, earlier this year.
“The recent allegations against Ms. Patel, who was employed at a Kids ‘R’ Kids franchised location for less than two weeks, are deeply troubling and we are cooperating fully with all legal proceedings to ensure that justice is served. It is important to note that after a thorough police investigation, law enforcement, alongside the Georgia Department of Family and Children Services, arrested the president/owner of Cornerstone Schools, [Ms. Patel’s former employer] for failing to report potential abuse allegations against Ms. Patel during her employment tenure at Cornerstone.
“As a result of Cornerstone’s failure to report these allegations, Ms. Patel was hired at Kids ‘R’ Kids and passed all state-mandated background checks in connection with her employment at Kids ‘R’ Kids. Cornerstone’s abdication of their duty to report differs starkly from our approach, which prioritizes the well-being of children above all else and was exhibited by reporting this incident immediately upon learning of it.
“At Kids ‘R’ Kids, the safety and well-being of every child in our care is our top priority, and we are deeply committed to maintaining a nurturing and secure environment. Our mission has always been to foster a love for learning and ensure that every child entrusted to us is treated with the utmost respect and care.
“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. We trust the legal system and look forward to this case being handled to the fullest extent of the law, as we remain fully committed to justice for the affected families and the continued safety of our children.”