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An Arkansas school director has been sentenced for her involvement in what a prosecutor has described as a “makeshift fight club.”
Mary Tracy Morrison entered a guilty plea on May 4 to charges of permitting child abuse and contributing to the delinquency of a juvenile, as per court records. She faces a sentence of five years on probation and 30 days in county jail.
“Dr. Morrison has admitted that during a group session, she failed to respond appropriately,” her defense team stated to Oxygen. “Today’s plea signifies her recognition and acceptance of responsibility for not taking timely action in that situation.”
Her defense further argued that the term “fight club,” used by Prosecuting Attorney Sonia Hagood according to Kait 8 News, was misleading and fueled an unnecessary and damaging narrative within the community.
The investigation took root in April 2025 after a mother reported to the Craighead County Sheriff’s Office that her 13-year-old child was being subjected to mental and physical abuse at the ENGAGE School and The Delta Institute for Developing the Brain.
As the Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) was assigned the case, police served a search warrant at the school to obtain audio and video footage, according to a probable cause affidavit reviewed by Oxygen.
Morrison’s defense team told Oxygen that the probable cause affidavit contains “false statements and mischaracterizations, some of which the prosecuting attorney also stated in open court.”
The footage revealed that Morrison and other students inflicted mental and physical abuse on the student, according to the affidavit.
In one instance, Morrison had instructed the victim to sit on the floor as they were surrounded by 18 students and herself, police shared in the affidavit.
“Dr. Morrison verbally berated the child the whole time,” police wrote, “as she watched many of the other students sitting around the circle punch, kick and choke the juvenile victim sitting inside the circle.”
After a choking incident, per the affidavit, Morrison gave the perpetrator a high-five while “displaying her pleasure.”
Additionally, during the 30-minute ordeal, Morrison asked students to share something they didn’t like about the victim’s appearance, according to the affidavit.
As one student addressed the victim, Morrison was seen hitting the victim with an unknown object and telling them to look at the student speaking, police wrote in the affidavit. “At one point,” according to the doc, “Dr. Morrison tells a student that they can hit the victim in the private area if they want to.”
Morrison then told the victim to apologize to their peers, per the affidavit, then said she “does not want this situation to be discussed again.”
Police noted in the affidavit that three other employees were present during various moments of the incident, though none intervened.
Ultimately, all three were arrested in April 2025 on charges of permitting child abuse, according to Kait 8.