Inset: Nikol Marie Rodriguez (Miami-Dade Corrections). Background: Peace Christian Academy in Hialeah, Florida, where Rodriguez allegedly assaulted a student with autism (Google Maps).
A Florida teacher is under investigation for allegedly “forcefully slamming” an 8-year-old autistic student to the ground, despite the child showing no signs of aggression towards her.
Nikol Marie Rodriguez, 29, has been charged with one count of child abuse without causing great bodily harm. According to an arrest affidavit reviewed by Law&Crime, the incident reportedly took place on March 3 at Peace Christian Academy in Hialeah.
Rodriguez has been responsible for the student since the start of the 2024 school year. While the child can understand basic instructions, he struggles to communicate his needs, authorities noted. The incident was caught on a surveillance camera, footage of which was obtained by police through a subpoena.
The complaint states that Rodriguez was in the classroom with the victim and two other students. At one point, the child was sitting on the floor in an incorrect position, prompting Rodriguez to spin him around in what police described as an “aggressive manner.” Shortly after, the child moved to a bean bag chair and sat down.
“Although there is no audio on the CCTV footage, the child did not appear to be exhibiting any threatening behavior,” the police report stated. “He was merely sitting quietly.”
Rodriguez is accused of going behind the boy, pulling his hands behind his back. As the child attempted to free himself, appearing distressed, Rodriguez allegedly struggled with him before “forcefully slamming the victim’s upper body and head onto the classroom floor,” according to authorities.
She also “forcefully pressed” the boy into a supine position as he was kicking his legs, cops wrote. The defendant then allegedly pinned the student’s arm to the ground with her leg. Eventually, Rodriguez let the victim go but allegedly shoved him into the table when he tried to get up.
The boy’s mother noticed injuries when she was giving him a bath. He allegedly had a small puncture wound on his right bicep as well as “finger bruise marks” on his left arm and scratches on his chest.
An internal report by the school which cops obtained said Rodriguez was using “supportive de-escalation procedures” because of the boy’s “escalating behavior,” according to the complaint.
Rodriguez’s attorney struck the same tone at her bond hearing.
“It is a child that was acting out, and she was in the process of restraining [the child],” he said, according to local ABC affiliate WPLG.
Cops arrested Rodriguez on Thursday and took her to jail, where she has since posted a $5,000 bond. Her next court date is not yet listed.
