Preschool owners, employee face criminal, civil charges over alleged child abuse
WAMEGO, Kan. — The owners and a former employee of the now-closed Brilliant Beginnings 2 preschool face both criminal and civil legal proceedings related to allegations of child abuse and neglect that occurred in spring 2024.
Sharlee Serb of Wamego, who worked as a teacher at the preschool, has been charged in Pottawatomie County District Court with four counts of misdemeanor battery and four counts of misdemeanor assault. Court documents indicate all eight charges involve victims who were 5 and 6 years old at the time of the alleged offenses, which occurred between May 15-17, 2024.
In a separate civil case, seven minors represented by their parents have filed suit against Senna LLC, doing business as Brilliant Beginnings 2, along with owners Chasity Watson and Dr. Felicity Post, both of Manhattan, and Serb individually. Post is employed by USD 383 as the assistant director of special education.
The victims' names are not included in court records due to their ages. A status hearing is scheduled for Oct. 7.
According to the civil petition, Watson and Post operated the preschool while Serb worked as a teacher. The suit alleges Serb "began physically assaulting, abusing and neglecting" the children in early 2024 while under the supervision of the preschool and its owners.
The petition details alleged incidents from May 15-17, 2024, claiming Serb used "prohibited punishment including, but not limited to, verbal abuse, threats, derogatory remarks, withholding food, spanking, yanking arms, humiliation, and frightening children."
These dates correspond with those in the criminal charges.
State investigation substantiated complaint
A Kansas Department of Health and Environment investigation dated May 21, 2024, substantiated the allegations and found additional areas of noncompliance at the facility.
The investigation report states a staff member reported the abuse to the program director but that the director "did not report abuse occurring in the facility to the Department of Children and Families or law enforcement after it was reported to the program director by a staff member."
Kansas law requires child care providers to report suspected child abuse within 24 hours to the Kansas Department for Children and Families.
The KDHE report details multiple incidents captured on video surveillance, including staff yanking children's arms, grabbing children by the chin and yelling in their faces, forcing children to sit against walls as punishment, withholding food, and using threatening language.
In one incident described in the report, a staff member allegedly yanked a child's arm while yelling "pick up, pick up now! You're not listening!" Another incident involved a staff member yanking the arms of two children hiding in a bookshelf to pull them out. According to the report, "The staff member pulled the first child aside hard enough to make the child fall on their belly, then spanked the child twice as they pulled the child off the bookshelf."
The report also documents an incident where a staff member allegedly grabbed a 3-year-old by the waist, lifted the child up and forcefully placed them on a nap cot while yelling. The child reportedly screamed as another staff member held them down on the cot.
The report states "Based on the results of the investigation the allegations are substantiated and additional areas of noncompliance were found not related to the complaint."
Court proceedings
In the criminal case, a status hearing was held previously, with another scheduled for Oct. 7 in Pottawatomie County District Court.
In the civil case filed in July 2025, the defendants filed their answer in August 2025. Watson and Post assert the petition "fails to state a claim or cause of action upon which relief can be granted" and have requested a jury trial. No further court dates have been set in the civil case.
The civil suit includes five counts: negligent hiring and retention, negligent training and negligent supervision of Serb against the preschool and its owners; and negligent failure to supervise children and negligent infliction of emotional distress against all defendants.
The plaintiffs seek damages exceeding $75,000 per count, plus litigation costs.
The preschool, located at 17680 Old Post Road in Wamego, has since closed. Post is listed as the registered agent for Senna LLC.
