Teacher at Hialeah school arrested in alleged abuse of autistic child, cops say

A special needs teacher at a Christian school in Hialeah has been arrested in the alleged abuse of an autistic student, police said.

Nikol Marie Rodriguez, 29, was arrested Thursday on a charge of child abuse with no great bodily harm, Miami-Dade jail records showed.

According to an arrest report, the incident happened back on March 4 at Primera Iglesia Hispana De La Biblia Abierta on East 50th Street where Rodriguez worked as a teacher.

The alleged victim is an 8-year-old diagnosed with Autism and ADHD and who was not prescribed medication but received therapy on a daily basis, the report said.

Rodriguez, who works with children with special needs, was the boy’s teacher dating back to August 2024, the report said.

According to the report, Rodriguez was seen on video grabbing the boy’s arm and spinning him on the floor before she pulled his arms behind his back, causing his shoulders to flare out.

The boy was seen struggling with the restraint technique as his mouth was open and he was rocking side to side “appearing to be in agony,” the report said.

Rodriguez was later seen in the video “forcefully slamming the victim’s upper body and head into the classroom floor,” and forcefully restraining his arms to the ground, the report said.

A struggle ensued and Rodriguez stayed mounted on the boy’s abdomen before she pinned his head into the classroom’s corner, the report said.

Rodriguez was later seen pushing the boy back, causing him to fall against a table, the report said.

She didn’t call for medical assistance, but that evening, as the boy’s mother was getting ready to give him a bath, she found injuries including a small puncture wound on his bicep, along with bruises and scratches on his chest and finger bruise marks on his arm, the report said.

Rodriguez, who lives in Miramar, was booked into jail and appeared before a judge on Friday, who set her bond at $5,000 and ordered her to stay away from the child.