A Florida teacher is facing child abuse charges after he allegedly pinned the head of a 3-year-old autistic student between his legs, police said.
Vilma Otero, 59, was arrested Saturday after the incident was reported to the Florida Department of Children and Families (DCF) by a classroom aide at Forest Lake Elementary School. WESH 2 Reported.
Police say Florida teacher held 3-year-old boy's head with foot while reading to him https://t.co/nJFITnizkJ pic.twitter.com/bzVMPcueWS
— WFLA News (@WFLA) August 28, 2024
The teacher aide claimed she heard screaming and crying from across the room, turned around and saw Otero sitting in a chair with the boy between her legs.
An arrest affidavit from the Volusia County Sheriff's Office, obtained by local media, describes the boy's face turning red as he struggled to free himself from the alleged choking hold.
The assistant teacher quickly took photos of the scene and sent them to police, who noted on the photos that “Otero's legs and feet were on either side of the car.” [the child’s] The neck appeared to pin him to his back while Otero continued to read to the other children in the classroom.”
Images obtained by WFLA show Otero sitting in a chair, holding a child's head and neck between her ankles as she reads to the class.
Because of the boy's age and special needs, he was unable to communicate much with investigators beyond saying he “got into trouble at school” and “my girlfriend hurt me.”
Police also noticed wounds on the child's neck.
When officers visited her at her home, Otero told officers she had 36 years of teaching experience, particularly working with students with special needs.
The affidavit also said Otero claimed he had special training to work with such children and that it was standard procedure to move problem children to a separate room.
Police said the teacher maintained his innocence after being shown the photos and denied physically restraining the boy.
Nonetheless, Otero was arrested and charged with a felony count of child abuse without serious injury.
The Volusia County Board of Education released a statement following the arrest, saying, “The Volusia County Board of Education is committed to the safety and well-being of all of our students and is taking this situation very seriously.”
“As such, our Professional Standards department is currently conducting a thorough investigation to determine appropriate next steps. This teacher has now been placed on administrative leave,” school district officials added.
