Occupational therapist who ran child fight club pleads guilty to child abuse, gets probation
05/06/2026 11:00 am PDT
JONESBORO, Ark. (TCN) -- A woman accused of acting as the ringleader of a child fight club in a school setting has been sentenced to 108 months of probation and 30 days in jail.
On April 17, 2025, the parent of a 13-year-old contacted the sheriff’s department to say that her child had endured both mental and physical abuse at school, KAIT reports. According to an affidavit obtained by the outlet, audio and video from a search warrant showed that Mary Tracy Morrison, 51, “instructed the child to sit on the floor while being surrounded on the outside of a circle by 18 other juvenile students and Dr. Morrison.”
Morrison then told the children to hit the victim with their hands and an unknown object. Following that treatment, Morrison was shown in the video berating the child, according to KAIT. After one of the other students allegedly kicked and choked the victim, Morrison gave them a high-five. At the end of the video, the victim was told to apologize to the other students.
Morrison was arrested and charged in connection with the incident, which prosecutors say lasted about 30 minutes. She pleaded guilty to one count of permitting child abuse and four counts of contributing to the delinquency of a juvenile.
WAGA reports that Michael Bean, Kristin Bell, and Kathrine Lipscomb, who also worked at the school, were arrested in connection with the incident as well.
According to the New York Post, Morrison owned and directed the Delta Institute for the Developing Brain and the Engage program.
Upon her release, Morrison must surrender her professional licenses and is forbidden from working with children again, per KAIT. She must also complete 120 days of house arrest.
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