Osceola teachers accused of improperly restraining students

OSCEOLA COUNTY, Fla. — Two teachers have been removed from a Ventura Elementary School classroom while deputies investigate allegations of child abuse, the Osceola County Sheriff's Office said.

In a letter written Friday, Principal Ashley Condo notified some parents that two teachers were reassigned to duties outside of the classroom following allegations they inappropriately restrained students by taping them to their chairs.

“The proper authorities have been notified so that the allegations can be investigated,” Condo wrote in the letter. “The classroom will be staffed with permanent substitute teachers until further notice.”

Investigators were notified of the allegations Thursday, more than a month after the alleged misconduct happened, a Sheriff’s Office spokeswoman said.

“My son happens to be in one of the teacher's classes so we were made aware by letter, which I thought was kind of inappropriate,” parent Tony Hill said. “Nothing happened with him, but he was a witness to what was happening in the classroom.”

Hill said he would have preferred to have been informed in person or by phone because the letter left him wondering if his son was a victim.

When Hill asked his son what he witnessed in class, he described one of his classmates having his wrists and his ankles taped to a chair.

The School District of Osceola County said the teachers remain employed with the school as detectives investigate the allegations.

The Department of Children and Families is assisting the Sheriff’s Office in the investigation.

Cox Media Group