A Des Moines woman is accused of binding her children by the hands or feet to keep them under control.
Polk County court records say 38-year-old Jessica Henderson is charged with child endangerment.
Henderson told Des Moines station KCCI that her friend bound the children when she was in another room.
School officials contacted police last month about a photograph taken in March that shows the children tied up on the floor. Authorities haven’t said who took the photograph.
Police Sgt. Paul Parizek (puh-REE’-zihk) says the children aged 9, 5 and 4 years were taken to a hospital but had suffered no significant injuries.
Henderson’s next court hearing is scheduled for Oct. 22.
The Associated Press contributed to this article.