A family in suburban Barrington are growing increasingly concerned after their three-year-old son left school with bruises, prompting investigations.
According to authorities, the Department of Children and Family Services, along with the Kildeer Police Department, are currently investigating the case as the family searches for answers.
“He clings to me, he won’t take his eyes off me,” said Kellie Ostertag, mother of 3-year-old Henry. “He doesn’t really show interest in things he normally likes to do, like play with things.”
Ostertag said this is unusual behavior for her child. She and her husband Oliver said they have noticed the changes since last Tuesday, when Henry had bruises on his ear and arms after school at Guidepost Montessori Deer Park in Kildeer.
“There was no incident report, which is very common. There have been times when he’s come home from a fall or another kid has scratched him and you get an incident report, you get a copy that you have to sign,” Ostertag said.
The couple have sent Henry to school since spring 2023, but in recent months they said they have noticed changes and have already raised concerns with staff.
“The diapers are put on backwards. The excessive tightening of rear-facing diapers causes significant diaper rash,” said Oliver Ostertag.
The couple also provided emails documenting these concerns dating back to earlier this month.
The Ostertags said school staff couldn’t immediately tell them what happened at first, so they took their child to the doctor.
“The nurse practitioner in the emergency room reported [that] it looked like an adult had done it, so she called DCFS,” Oliver Ostertag said.
DCFS is currently investigating the case. Kildeer police are also investigating and told NBC 5 they are also working with the Lake County Prosecutor’s Office and the school. They released a statement to NBC Chicago, saying, “The Kildeer Police Department takes any report of child abuse very seriously and we will use all resources available in our village to determine the factors related to this investigation.”
Guidepost Montessori also responded to NBC 5’s requests for a statement, saying in part, “We are aware of the reported incident and are actively conducting an internal investigation, in addition to independent external investigations by DCFS and the Kildeer Police Department. Our initial investigation suggests that the child suffered a bruise to his ear and arm while playing with other children under a slide on the playground. We are grateful for the involvement of DCFS and the Kildeer Police Department and look forward to their expertise to ensure a thorough investigation, conducted by unbiased experts, and that results in a successful outcome.”
Their response then explains the changes they will make during their internal investigation, including the temporary closure of some classrooms.
However, the Ostertags have withdrawn their child from school and have said they still want more transparency and concrete answers about what happened.
“Bruises like this are not a coincidence,” Ostertag said. “They were caused by something, and we want to know what caused it and we want to be sure it won’t happen again.”
