Arkansas school director sentenced for role as ‘ringleader’ in child fight club
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An Arkansas school principal was sentenced to 30 days in prison, 120 days of house arrest with electronic monitoring and nine years of probation after prosecutors accused him of being the “ringleader” of a makeshift children’s fight club.
Mary Tracy Morrison, 51, owner and director of The Delta Institute for the Developing Brain and the Engage program in Jonesboro, pleaded guilty Monday to one count of permitting child abuse and four counts of contributing to the delinquency of a child, according to KAIT.
The judge also barred him from working with children in any professional capacity and ordered that he must surrender his occupational therapy license and other relevant licenses, complete a mental health evaluation and comply with any recommended treatments.
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Mary Tracy Morrison pleaded guilty to one count of permitting child abuse and four counts of contributing to the delinquency of a child. (Craighead County Sheriff’s Office)
Morrison was arrested in April 2025 after a mother told the Craighead County Sheriff’s Office that her teenage son was being mentally and physically abused while at school.
Video footage obtained by deputies through a search warrant revealed Morrison “instructed the child to sit on the floor while he was surrounded by 18 other young students and Dr. Morrison,” KAIT reported.
The affidavit said Morrison told the other students to place their hands on the child in the middle and hit the child with an “unknown object.”
Mary Tracy Morrison was arrested last year after a mother told the Craighead County Sheriff’s Office she reported that her teenage son was being mentally and physically abused at school. (Craighead County Sheriff’s Office)
While Morrison was verbally berating the boy, another student was seen kicking and choking the boy.
After the alleged incident, Morrison was observed “high-fiving the child, displaying his satisfaction with the child’s behavior,” according to the affidavit.
Deputies said the incident lasted 30 minutes and involved a teacher directing a student to hit a classmate in a “private area.”
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Three other school employees were also arrested in connection with the harassment. (Craighead County Sheriff’s Office)
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Following the incident, Morrison “instructed the victim to apologize to all other students” and told students to never discuss what happened again, the document said.
Three other school employees — 38-year-old Michael Bean, 36-year-old Kristin Bell and 45-year-old Kathrine Lipscomb — were also arrested in connection with the abuse.
Fox News Digital could not immediately reach the Delta Institute for the Developing Brain or the Engage program for comment because a public or operational email address was not listed for either organization.
