A 29-year-old teacher at Peace Christian Academy in Hialeah, Florida, faces a child abuse charge after allegedly slamming an 8-year-old boy with autism to the floor. The incident, captured on surveillance video, occurred on March 3. Authorities say the boy showed no aggressive behavior.
Nikol Marie Rodriguez has overseen the student since the start of the 2024 school year. According to the probable cause arrest affidavit, the boy was sitting on the floor not facing the correct direction, so Rodriguez spun him aggressively. He then moved to a bean bag and sat down without displaying any physically threatening behavior, police wrote in the complaint obtained after a subpoena for the CCTV footage, which lacked audio but showed the events clearly. Rodriguez pulled the boy's hands behind his back; as he tried to escape, appearing in agony, she struggled with him and forcefully slammed his upper body and head onto the classroom floor. She pressed him into a supine position while he kicked, pinned his arm with her leg, and later shoved him into a table when he attempted to stand, the affidavit states. The boy's mother discovered injuries including a small puncture wound on his right bicep, finger bruise marks on his left arm, and scratches on his chest while bathing him. Police arrested Rodriguez on Thursday and booked her into jail, where she posted $5,000 bond. A school internal report described her actions as supportive de-escalation procedures for the boy's escalating behavior. Her attorney echoed this at the bond hearing, stating, 'It is a child that was acting out, and she was in the process of restraining [the child].' Her next court date has not been set.