A Texas preschool teacher has been accused of terrorizing a four-year-old girl in her care, allegedly dragging her across a classroom and telling her that her parents 'don't want her.' 

Justice Thomas, a teacher at Trinity Lutheran School and Early Childhood Center in San Angelo, allegedly 'screamed at, belittled and manhandled' a young girl in her care in 2021, according to a complaint obtained by the Daily Mail. 

The lawsuit, filed by parents Patrick Killingsworth and Mellissa Killingsworth, alleges that she yanked the girl's arm, locked her alone in a dark closet and even threatened to call the police on the child, who is identified only as PK in court documents. 

Thomas allegedly encouraged another child to take part in the abuse, with one student reportedly screaming at the girl: 'You're gonna get locked in a dungeon!' 

'The girl was subjected to continuous yelling, screaming, ridiculing, belittling, shoving, pushing, yanking, dragging and hitting - changing her forever,' the complaint reads.

The Killingsworths claim school administrators failed to intervene and did not preserve key evidence, including hours of surveillance footage that were allegedly missing from the day of the incident.

Text messages included in the filing reveal that the school's director and principal received more than four months of 'explicit warnings' from Thomas that she was 'approaching a mental health breakdown.' 

In one alarming message, Thomas told school leaders that her 'worst nightmare' was having a 'meltdown at work' - a fear raised months before the incident involving PK.

Others showed the teacher telling Director Tracy Rabb that she had suffered 'two panic attacks within an hour' and had been 'very suicidal,' though the director allegedly still required her to come in due to staffing shortages. 

'Trinity Lutheran School's leadership ignored state childcare laws and failed to stop a four-year-old girl and her preschool classmates from being terrorized by a teacher while under the school's watch,' attorney Russell Button of the Button Law Firm said, according to PR Newswire.

'This is what happens when a school prioritizes its staffing schedule over a child's safety, then tries to bury the truth instead of owning up to their multiple failures that broke the law,' he added.

The 2024 court filing paints a disturbing picture of the young girl allegedly being tormented in front of her classmates, with the abuse unfolding on March 24, 2021.

Just after 9.40am, surveillance footage allegedly shows PK raising her hand to ask for help with a test administered by Thomas - a request that the lawsuit claims triggered the teacher's outburst. 

According to the documents, Thomas allegedly said: 'You are not going to kindergarten. You are a baby! You need help! You can't do anything!'

'She got something wrong in her brain,' she allegedly added. 'I'll tell you what she knows! It's about nothing but poop. You even poop all over my bathroom but doesn't know how to listen to anything!'

The filing alleges that the tearful girl reached for a tissue, only to be mocked by Thomas, who allegedly ridiculed the child's crying and whimpering in front of the class.

'So embarrassing, PK. You are so embarrassing. You are so embarrassing. Everybody look at PK, how embarrassing. Aw, so embarrassing,' she allegedly said. 'All of your friends are looking at you. Like you are so embarrassing. Get it together.'

The filing alleges that as PK sobbed and begged for her 'mommy and daddy,' Thomas ripped away the child's test packet, summoned the front office and smacked the pencil from her hand. 

'Get out of my class! Get out!' Thomas allegedly screamed before shoving the test packet back at PK and forcing her into the hallway, telling a passing staff member that she did not want the child in her classroom.

The lawsuit alleges that after briefly removing PK from the classroom, the principal brought her back at about 10am and failed to investigate the incident, review video footage or notify her parents. 

After recess, Thomas allegedly continued to single out PK, with surveillance footage capturing the child being isolated during a classroom coloring activity, according to the complaint.

'Go to your seat now! You have no privileges! Go sit in the back. You do not get to do any...anything anyone else gets to do. You get to sit in the back by yourself because you suck,' the teacher allegedly said.

Audio allegedly captured PK hiccupping, prompting Thomas to respond: 'Hush! You are so annoying. Can you ever just be quiet? I don't like you at all.' 

Shortly before 11.30am, Thomas allegedly escalated by leading PK to believe that police officers were on their way to get her, stating: 'You need to get locked up and go far away from your family and from all your friends and you need to go to jail.'

The lawsuit alleges Thomas pretended to call 911 on her cellphone, with classroom audio recording the incident as the children listened fearfully.

In the audio, the teacher was allegedly heard saying, 'Will you come and please pick up a little girl by the name of PK?'

'She needs to go in a cop car and go to jail because she is not a good person and she doesn't listen to anything,' she added, according to the complaint. 'She needs to go and be taken away from her mommy and daddy because she does not listen.' 

Thomas was also allegedly caught on camera saying, 'Oh! Guess what? Your mommy and daddy are so tired of how you act that they don't want you at home either. They don't want you.'

The filing alleges Thomas then pretended to speak with PK's parents on the phone, while the terrified four-year-old girl's cries intensified.

She allegedly continued the charade by telling PK that her mother wanted her to 'knock it off' that she was 'going to jail because you don't listen,' adding that she would be 'all by herself' once there. 

Another student piled on by telling PK she would be 'locked in a dungeon,' while Thomas allegedly added that the girl 'won't ever see' her parents again and could go 'cry about it,' the documents state.

Camera audio allegedly captured Thomas continuing to berate the child, yelling: 'You think there are a bunch of little kids like your age in jail? NO!'

She then added: 'Guess who they all are? They're big grown-up scary people in jail! And you're going to be the only teeny tiny little baby in the whole jail!' 

'Mommy and daddy are not going to help you because, guess what? They want you to go. They don't want you at home. They're gone and you're going to jail.' 

The filing alleges Thomas then rushed toward PK, shoved her to the ground, dragged her toward the front door and slammed her into a cubby wall 'so hard that a loud and startling thud can be heard.' 

On three separate occasions, according to the filing, an employee is allegedly visible through the glass door window witnessing the incident and hearing PK's screams, yet failing to act.

Once PK was out of Thomas' grip, she was allegedly forced into a closet alone with the lights off for roughly one minute.

Court documents claim Thomas confronted the sobbing four-year-old, screaming, 'Stop. Stop that ugly face!' before a slapping sound was allegedly recorded. 

Other insults allegedly captured on audio included Thomas telling PK that she was not smart, had no friends and that 'every single kid in here does not like you.' 

The Killingsworths raised concerns the next day, but school officials allegedly failed to disclose what they had seen on the remaining footage - despite Texas law requiring immediate reporting of such incidents. 

'In fact, five days went by before Trinity Lutheran told Mr and Mrs Killingsworth anything,' the complaint states.

'Trinity Lutheran cherry picked what they wanted to keep and wanted to delete, leaving the Killingsworth family in the dark forever,' it added in regards to the footage.

PK underwent a forensic interview in which she reported being hit on her hand, forearm and face, and described marks left from the teacher allegedly pinching and scratching her, according to the complaint.

The filing claims that for months after the incident, PK had 'nightmares almost every night, regular potty accidents and is still terrified of small, dark places to this day.'

'PK is not the kid she would have been had Trinity Lutheran not failed her,' it added.

An investigation into Thomas' conduct found she was dealing with PTSD, anxiety and depression, and had been hospitalized and placed on medication in the months leading up to the meltdown. 

She was arrested and charged with injury to a child on April 14, 2021, and was ordered to pay a $2,500 fine while serving 10 years on probation, after which the charges will be dropped and her record cleared. 

Trinity Lutheran was first named in a lawsuit filed in January 2023, during which it reportedly sought to settle the matter - an offer that was declined. 

An amended lawsuit filed the following year argues that the school did not place Thomas on administrative leave or provide additional support, and failed to protect their daughter from emotional and physical harm.

The Killingsworths are seeking accountability and justice for the alleged trauma inflicted on their child while under the school’s care, and are requesting monetary relief exceeding $1 million, to be set by a jury. 

Trinity has not yet answered the amended lawsuit.

The Daily Mail has reached out to Trinity Lutheran School, teacher Justice Thomas and Director Tracy Rabb for comment.