A first-grade teacher in Hialeah has been charged with seven counts of child abuse on three of her students, according to police.
A first-grade teacher in Hialeah has been charged with seven counts of child abuse on three of her students, according to police.
Beth Ann Nemec, a teacher at Horeb Christian School at 795 West 68th Street, was taken into custody Tuesday, police said. She was charged with child abuse resulting in no great bodily harm.
Police said parents of the three separate first graders reported their children had been victims of abuse by Nemec while in her class. One child, a 7-year-old, told his mother that Nemec would cover his mouth to keep him from talking and would "flick" him on the cheek with her fingers because he talked too much, according to police.
Another mother told police her 6-year-old child came home with bruises on his left arm and several scratches, police said. The child told his mother that Nemec had grabbed his arms tightly. He said he told Nemec that she had hurt him, and she said she didn't care, police said.
The third child, a 6-year-old, told his mother that Nemec would discipline him for sitting on his feet in his chair by hitting him on the buttocks, police said. The child said Nemec allegedly hit him on top of his head on one occasion and placed her hand over his mouth to keep him from talking, according to police. The child also said Nemec would flick his fingers with hers when he would raise his hand.
Nemec was being held on $15,000 bond, according to online jail records. It is unclear if Nemec has an attorney.
The prinicpal of Horeb Christian School, Cindy Montes de Oca, sent NBC 6 a statement that read in part:
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"At Horeb Christian School, the safety of our children and staff is paramount. Our school has zero tolerance for any type of behavior that would endanger the safety of our students. We are very saddened by the allegations against Mrs. Nemec, and are fully cooperating with the authorities as well as conducting our own internal investigation.
Mrs. Nemec became part of our staff full-time this school year, and served as an on-call substitute last school year. Prior to employment, all of our teachers are vetted as per the Florida Department of Children and Families'(DCF) protocol."
Stay with NBC6.com for updates on this developing story.
