SUNRISE, FLA. (WSVN) - Police have arrested a teacher at Piper High School in Sunrise accused of sexual misconduct with a student.
Thirty-seven-year-old Rafael Guzman was taken into custody Monday afternoon.
“Yeah, that’s kinda weird; he’s a weirdo,” said student Mark Henry.
“Yeah, he was nice and stuff, but he did seem a little like weird towards the kids a little bit, ’cause like, girls used to come into his classroom all the time and help him and stuff, and like, he would get the girls to do stuff,” said another student.
According to the police report, a 17-year-old student told Sunrise Police that the suspect had asked her to stay after class.
It goes on to say Guzman turned off the lights, then kissed and touched the student.
Once he was done, the report states, he paid the girl $100 and told her, “not to feel bad,” then exposed and pleasured himself.
Parents at Piper High School were disgusted by the news.
“I was shocked. I was completely shocked,” said a parent.
“So repetitive and the fact that it keeps happening over and over it’s like, these teachers aren’t learning, and it just puts our kids at risk,” said another parent who did not want to appear on camera. “Pretty much because the ones you trust to take care of our children are actually letting us down.”
Another parent expressed their shock about the news of Guzman.
“They take an oath as a teacher and are never supposed to go there,” she said.
Police said they interviewed Guzman, who admitted to kissing and touching the 17-year-old.
Monday night, the school’s principal, Marie Hautigan, sent out a voicemail to parents.
Hautigan let parents know that a teacher was arrested for sexual misconduct with a student.
“At all times, the safety of students and staff are my highest priority,” she said in the voicemail.
Other students at the high school came out and said this behavior by a teacher is unacceptable.
“I couldn’t imagine that you would actually take that risk, you know, in a place that’s like this,” said student Levitt Lira. “This is a student’s sanctuary. We all come here, spend time together, you don’t expect it to become a place crimes would take place. Like ,how does that make any sense.”
Guzman faces a charge of an authority figure engaging in sexual conduct with a student.
On Tuesday, Guzman was ordered to be held on $50,000 bond, stay away from minors, the school and to have no contact with the victim.
He has since posted bond.
Guzman will be assigned a GPS-tracking ankle monitor once he’s released.
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