MIAMI (WSVN) - A teacher at a school in Miami was fired after an 8-year-old student said the educator hit her in the face with a ruler and a belt buckle.
Monday night, Alexis Miller showed a 7News crew the injuries her daughter Mikayla Patterson suffered, allegedly at the hands of her teacher at B. Wright Leadership Academy, Friday afternoon.
“Underneath her eye it’s still swollen,” Miller said as she pointed at her child’s face.
Miller described the teacher’s alleged actions, according to what Patterson told her.
“She popped her with a ruler first, and then my child told me that she took her in the kitchen and hit her with the belt buckle,” said Miller.
With her mother’s permission, Patterson, who still has a cut on her forehead, shared her side of the story.
“She hit me with the ruler, hit me with the buckle,” she said.
Patterson’s family believes the teacher went after her because she thought the girl had stolen a snack.
Miller said the confrontation left her daughter traumatized.
“I have to get up in the middle of the night to make sure she’s OK because she’s coming into my room [and says], ‘Mom, I’m scared, I can’t sleep,'” she said.
A school administrator confirmed the incident and told 7News the teacher has been fired.
“Instead of being professional, she took it like she was on the streets,” said Miller.
In a statement to 7News, a school administrator wrote, “BWLA goes to great lengths to ensure employees are guided by ethical and moral standards, especially where students are concerned. BWLA does not tolerate any threats, threatening behavior, abuse, or acts of violence committed by or against students, employees or volunteers on BWLA property or surrounding areas.”
Despite the firing, Miller said more needs to be done to make sure children at the school are safe.
“She’s not a bad teacher, to be exact, but I don’t know what caused her to attack my child that day,” she said. “She has lost all respect from me.”
Miller said her daughter will not be returning to B. Wright Leadership Academy anytime soon.
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