A 29-year-old teacher at Peace Christian Academy in Hialeah is facing criminal charges after surveillance footage allegedly captured her repeatedly abusing an 8-year-old student with special needs.
Nikol Marie Rodriguez was taken into custody last Thursday following an investigation into several incidents that occurred on March 4.
The victim, who has a diagnosis of autism and ADHD, is described by authorities as non-violent and limited in his ability to communicate beyond simple requests. According to police reports, Rodriguez had been the boy’s educator since August 2024.
However, the footage from that Monday morning painted a grim picture of their interaction. Investigators say the video shows Rodriguez grabbing the boy by both arms and spinning him aggressively before 11 a.m.
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Later the same day, the situation escalated. While the boy was sitting calmly on the floor, Rodriguez reportedly restrained him by pulling his arms behind his back. Court documents state the child appeared to be in “agony” during the struggle, a scene so distressing that another student in the room was seen covering their eyes and ears.
The footage then shows Rodriguez “forcefully slamming” the 8-year-old’s head and upper body into the floor before pinning him down with her own body weight.
Despite the child’s attempts to escape, police say Rodriguez continued to pin his head into a corner and pushed him into a table as he tried to stand up.
No medical attention was sought for the boy following the encounter. His mother later discovered a puncture wound on his bicep, along with various bruises and scratches across his chest and arm.
While an internal report from Peace Christian Academy characterized the teacher’s actions as “supportive de-escalation” intended to protect the student, investigators noted that the video evidence directly contradicted those claims.
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Rodriguez was booked into the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center on one count of child abuse without great bodily harm.
During a court appearance, Rodriguez’s attorney, Christopher Pracitto, defended her actions to the court. “It is a child that was acting out, and she was in the process of restraining [the child],” Pracitto stated. Rodriguez has since been released on a $5,000 bond.
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