CORAL SPRINGS, FLA. (WSVN) - A Coral Springs Charter School teacher has been arrested on multiple felony charges stemming from an alleged sexual relationship with a student, police said.
Joseph Michael Melendez, 33, of Coral Springs, was taken into custody Thursday by the Coral Springs Police Department’s Special Victims Unit.
He is charged with one count of sexual battery, two counts of lewd and lascivious battery, and one count of lewd and lascivious molestation.
According to investigators, the case began on July 21 when the former student gave a sworn statement alleging that Melendez engaged in a sexual relationship with him beginning in 2018.
Police said at the time, the victim was a freshman at Coral Springs Charter School, located at 3205 N University Dr., and Melendez was his teacher and advisor of the after-school American Sign Language club. The victim said the relationship continued into his sophomore year.
Detectives said they gathered additional statements and evidence to support probable cause for the arrest.
On Thursday, officers arrested Melendez in the parking lot of the Northwest Regional Library.
Police said he later admitted to the relationship, acknowledging the victim was 15 years old at the time.
Melendez was booked into the Broward County Main Jail after processing.
Coral Springs Charter School, operated by Charter Schools USA and governed by the Coral Springs City Commission, terminated Melendez’s employment immediately after learning of the charges.
Copyright 2026 Sunbeam Television Corp. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.