Alenna Merritt, the mother of the teenager, has made the decision to withdraw her daughter from Yonkers Montessori Academy. In addition, she has taken legal action by filing a notice of claim against the city of Yonkers. The claim states that Merritt plans to sue for $40 million, citing alleged negligent supervision as the basis for the lawsuit.
“I was feeling confused and scared as they repeatedly yelled in my face,” the teenager shared in a phone interview with The Post, alongside her mother and lawyer. “I felt alone and terrified when I was attacked because there was no one there to come to my aid.”
Merritt’s daughter, referred to as E.W., experienced a distressing incident at the Montessori school on April 18. As captured on video footage from three different phones, she was surrounded by four parents and a grandparent of other students on the baseball field located within the school grounds. The family, requesting anonymity, has chosen not to disclose the daughter’s full name.
According to the family’s lawyer, Mark Shirian, it seems from the video that the group was searching for E.W.’s friend for a specific purpose. However, since the friend was not present, they assumed guilt by association and targeted E.W. instead.
In the video, you can hear the parents shouting and using offensive language towards E.W. Meanwhile, another student quickly intervenes and begins slapping and attacking her, while the parents watch. Despite the situation, E.W. tries to defend herself by slapping back.
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In a recently filed notice of claim with the city of Yonkers, it is alleged that E.W. was subjected to a violent assault while on the premises of Yonkers Montessori Academy. The incident occurred during school hours and involved not only students but also parents and relatives of current students. It is stated that E.W. was left unsupervised, leading to this unfortunate incident.
The teenager has suffered from a brutal assault, enduring severe physical, emotional, and psychological injuries as a consequence. This is stated in the document, which serves as a legal precursor to filing a lawsuit against a municipal agency.
Merritt, a 42-year-old resident of Yonkers, informed The Post that she intends to take legal action against the adults involved as well.
After reviewing cell-phone videos with the police officers who were called to the school that day, she mentioned that they were able to observe that some of the adults also assaulted her daughter. As a result, the police have issued a warrant for the arrest of at least one of the individuals involved.
The Yonkers Police Department and Yonkers Public Schools have confirmed that an arrest warrant has been issued for Nancy Rosa, aged 55. The charges against her include third-degree assault, second-degree harassment, and endangering the welfare of a child.
According to the representative, Rosa is not employed by the schools.
According to the representative, the investigation is still in progress. They declined to provide any comments regarding the possibility of additional arrests.
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When Merritt received a phone call from her daughter at around 7:30 a.m. that day, shortly after sending her off to school on the bus, she was filled with horror at the thought of such an incident happening to her child.
“I couldn’t believe it when my child called me, screaming and saying that she had been hit,” exclaimed Merritt, who holds the position of executive director at a daycare center.
Merritt mentioned that her daughter is currently receiving remote schooling from a tutor. This program is being provided by the Yonkers Montessori Academy. Merritt made this decision because she is concerned about her daughter’s safety and does not want to risk sending her back to school for the remaining 40 days of the school year.
E.W. has already secured admission to a prestigious private all-girls Catholic school for the upcoming academic year.
In January, Merritt took legal action against the school by filing a prior notice of claim. The claim alleged that the school staff had sexually harassed E.W. by instructing her to pull her bra and shake her breasts. The staff believed that E.W. was hiding a vape on her person, as stated in the claim papers.
Merritt expressed her immediate thought when confronted with the second incident, saying, “Here we go again.”
