A university professor in Arizona has been banned from eight McDonald’s restaurants in her area, after she found dangerous bacteria in the children’s play area.

On Monday morning, Erin Carr Jordan received a hand-delivered letter from an attorney stating that she was no longer allowed to set foot in the specified McDonald’s restaurants near Phoenix. The letter also threatened her with criminal trespassing charges if she did.

Carr Jordan believes she received this notice because of an incident at a McDonald’s in Gilbert, AZ in which she pointed out to the manager that she found an antibiotic-resistant bacteria, called MRSA, in its PlayPlace and then warned parents at the restaurant to clean and sanitize their children’s hands. After she saw a child licking the equipment, she told the manager he should close the play area down immediately.

“At that point it was dangerous … I was very assertive; I put on my big-girl voice, but I did not yell. I can’t imagine knowing there was MRSA and not doing anything. I make no apologies for what I did,” Carr Jordan said.

Carr Jordan has been on a crusade to clean up restaurant play areas ever since she observed the disgusting condition of the PlayPlace in a McDonald’s in Tempe, AZ several months ago. She videotaped the equipment and posted what she found on YouTube. When nothing was done to clean the place up, Carr Jordan went back to that restaurant, and to restaurants in 6 states, and collected test samples from their equipment, spending about $5,000 in laboratory fees to have them analyzed.

She has since formed a non-profit corporation and started a website called Kids Play Safe to raise awareness and funds, and has been the subject of articles and television shows. Carr Jordan is seeking more government oversight of kids’ play areas and is frustrated by the lack of response when she presents her lab results to agencies.

A spokesperson from McDonald’s said the company will continue to have discussions with Carr Jordan “in an effort to address her concerns. We are still committed to doing this, but it appears that recent actions by Dr. Carr Jordan have become disruptive to the employees and customers within our franchisee’s restaurants. We remain committed to working with an internal team on ensuring that our PlayPlaces are clean and safe for all customers.”

Check out her findings below:

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