Central Texas YMCA teacher in PfISD day care program accused of injury to a child
PFLUGERVILLE, Texas (KXAN) — A Central Texas YMCA teacher who worked in a Pflugerville Independent School District day care program was accused of injury to a child following multiple incidents that were captured on surveillance footage, according to Travis County court documents.
An arrest warrant affidavit said, in one instance, 45-year-old Geraline Wilson Browning was captured on video with her hands around the throat of a child.
PfISD said it was searching through the surveillance video for an unrelated request when staff discovered the incident. At the time, Browning was a teacher in the YMCA of Central Texas Childcare Development Center at Northwest Elementary School, according to the district.
“In the subsequent days, we continued our thorough review of all available classroom footage, revealing additional incidents involving the same YMCA teacher. This information has been shared with the YMCA, CPS, and our police department for their ongoing investigation, as well as with the families,” PfISD said.
The district said the YMCA of Central Texas “acted swiftly, removing the staff member from the classroom,” and told families and authorities about the incident.
The surveillance videos of the additional incidents were sent to police. Those recordings were from Jan. 29, Feb. 12, Feb. 20 and Feb. 21 and involved three separate children in the program, according to court documents.
YMCA of Central Texas chief marketing officer Laura Arrendondo said in a statement Friday that, “we recently terminated an employee after reviewing evidence of physical aggression directed at several of our students.”
“We immediately alerted the parents, CPS and the local authorities,” the statement continued. “The well-being of our students is our utmost priority and fortunately, these children are safe. We follow the state’s guidelines on safety and run extensive background checks before hiring employees. The YMCA of Central Texas is committed to ensuring the safest possible environment for our families and will work tirelessly to that end.”
As of Friday, Browning remained out of custody and had an active warrant out of Travis County, according to court records.
Read Pflugerville ISD’s full statement below.
While checking video for an unrelated request, PfISD staff were deeply disturbed to discover footage depicting an inappropriate physical redirection of a student by a YMCA teacher in the YMCA Childcare Development Center at Northwest Elementary School (NWES). We promptly acted by contacting the YMCA leadership, our local police department, and Child Protective Services (CPS). The YMCA also acted swiftly, removing the staff member from the classroom, informing families, and notifying the relevant authorities as well.
In the subsequent days, we continued our thorough review of all available classroom footage, revealing additional incidents involving the same YMCA teacher. This information has been shared with the YMCA, CPS, and our police department for their ongoing investigation, as well as with the families.
We understand the gravity of these situations and the safety of our students is always our top priority. We have received assurances from the YMCA that they have implemented additional staffing, training, and leadership oversight at the YMCA Childcare Center to enhance care and safety measures.
Furthermore, PfISD is dedicated to collaborating with the YMCA to guarantee video monitoring access to the classroom, ensuring the safety of all children in the program.
We remain dedicated to the safety and well-being of our students and will continue to take every measure possible to ensure a safe learning environment.
PfISD statement
