What to Know
- Demetrius Deal said she never failed to report an incident that was reported to her.
- One boy's mother told News4 that Deal was one of her only advocates after an incident in the Head Start program.
- Deal was a family services worker whose job was to report any improprieties in Head Start. She says she took that job seriously.
One of several employees recommended for termination in Prince George's County after allegations of abuse surfaced in the Head Start program says she had reported all known issues to her superior.
Demetrius Deal received her termination letter Wednesday. She's among the six Prince George's County employees fired or recommended to be fired after a Head Start scandal erupted, causing the county to lose $6.4 million in federal funding.
Deal was a family services worker whose job was to report any improprieties in Head Start. She says she took that job seriously.
"This is my name; this is my reputation," Deal said. "I would like to be vindicated."
Deal said she'd been doing the job for 18 years and was herself a product of Head Start.
"I believe in Head Start," she said.
Deal said she filed the proper documents for every issue reported to her and presented them to her supervisor, but doesn't know what happened after that. Her boss was also one of the six who faced disciplinary action.
Deal said she never failed to report an incident that was reported to her. "Never," she said.
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Prince George's County Schools began its own investigation after allegations of child abuse surfaced in a federal review of the program. A source with knowledge of that investigation said Deal, her direct supervisor, a nurse, two teacher's aides and a certified teacher were all either fired or recommended for termination.
Deal was the one who encouraged a mother at Whiship Wheatley Early Childhood Center to report that a teacher texted her pictures of her 3-year-old son mopping up his urine in front of his class wearing his soaking pants. The teacher wrote "lol" in a text, telling the mother he was being disciplined for wetting himself.
The boy's mother told News4 that Deal was one of her only advocates through the incident.
