12 Oct 9th-Oct 15th, 2025 phoenixnewtimes.com PHOENIX NEW TIMES | NEWS | FEATURE | FOOD & DRINK | ARTS & CULTURE | MUSIC | CONCERTS | CANNABIS | second time and did not make contact with his face. Hill then informed the officer that while the school has live cameras in the classrooms, “the new video system does not record so this incident was not captured on video.” That turned out to be false. Nearly two weeks later, police obtained video footage of the incident in response to a warrant. The video featured a black “privacy box” meant to obscure the changing table from view, although the box in question was in fact not near the changing table at all. Instead, it was positioned in a way that almost entirely obscured the alleged slapping incident from view. “The majority of the incident is suspiciously blocked out by the ‘privacy’ box,” wrote Chandler officer David Kultala in the police report. In its statement to New Times, Sunrise Preschools said the black box is positioned to cover the door of the bath- room since the changing table is obscured from the camera’s view by a wall. What can be seen lines up with the time- line of Hill’s initial story. Takala brings the boy, who is resisting her, into the room. At one point, the boy’s “left hand reach(es) out to his side and then upwards towards where Jaylene’s face/head would likely be as she is bent over,” the report reads. Shortly after, the boy’s “body jerks backwards as if he was being hit or slapped” and Takala’s glasses fall to the ground. According to the report, Hill is visible in the video looking in the direction of Takala and the boy. After the alleged slap, Hill “turns to walk away and out of the room.” Takala continues changing the boy’s diaper, during which Hill and another employee enter the room and appear “to inspect (the boy’s) face while he is on the changing table.” Kultala wrote that Sunrise’s parent company provided police with other docu- ments, including written statements from Hill and Takala. Takala’s statement echoed her initial story to the police, reiterating that she didn’t slap the boy. However, Hill’s statement had changed to mirror Takala’s while claiming that she didn’t see the inci- dent directly. “This is contradictory to what she told Officer Jordan and this is also contradictory to what was observed in the video,” Kultala wrote. When Kultala called Hill to ask her about the discrepancy, she said that “this whole thing was eating her up” and admitted that “the hit did happen.” She also said the company’s management ordered her to revise her statement to remove the part where Takala hit the boy. Hill declined to name the supervisor who gave her that instruction but did say that “she would not feel comfortable having her grandchild attend the daycare.” When reached over the phone, Hill directed New Times to corporate and said she wouldn’t give out any information before hanging up. Takala did not respond to New Times’ request to comment. It’s not clear if Takala was disciplined, though her LinkedIn still says she works at Sunrise Preschools. Trust issues At the end of the Chandler police investi- gation, detectives concluded that “it is likely the juvenile victim was hurt by Jaylene in some fashion” and recommended a single charge of class 5 felony child abuse against Takala. However, the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office declined to prosecute. New Times asked the county attorney for an explanation as to why, but has not received a response. Jason Higgins said his son “never had issues” before the incident. Now, Erin added, “he does. He’s traumatized by certain situa- tions, and it’s hard for him to focus and do a lot in preschool because he has a hard time trusting adults that he does not know.” Since the incident, their son has “endured persistent fear, anguish and profound fear of attending school,” according to their legal complaint. Now four years old, the boy attends a different preschool in Buckeye, where both of his parents now live. However, he still distrusts adults and is now on an Individualized Education Plan. The boy’s parents have trust issues of their own. “We trust the childcare. We trust the people that are taking care of our kids while we’re at work,” Erin Higgins said. “If we’re asking you a specific question about an inci- dent, I want you to tell me the truth so we can proceed to the next step or whatever we need to do to assist our son. So the lies are what really killed me.” Now, the Higginses are suing Sunrise Preschools and seeking monetary damages for medical care — both past, future and present. (What medical care the boy requires is not clear. The police report notes both parents told police he was not physically damaged, though the incident has been emotionally traumatizing.) The suit is being led by attorney Sheree Wright, who is notably representing five current and former employees of the Phoenix Suns and Phoenix Mercury in employment disputes. Wright is also pressing a different case against Sunrise Preschools over a May 2022 incident at a Mesa location in which a staffer allegedly yanked a young girl into a desk, causing a severe cut on her forehead. In that case, Sunrise staff initially told the child’s parents that their daughter had been injured when she tripped on a toy. However, a Mesa police report from that incident says the school called the parents soon after the incident to apologize and inform them that the staffer in question had been fired. Trouble with the Truth from p 11 Erin and Jason Higgins with their young son. (Erin and Jason Higgins)
