A Florida teacher was taken into custody after allegedly restraining a 3-year-old autistic boy during story time. The incident, captured in a disturbing photo, shows the child in distress while the teacher seemingly continues reading.
An incident occurred in Vilma Otero’s classroom at Forest Lake Elementary School on Aug. 23, where a classroom aide witnessed the teacher holding a child in a distressing manner while setting up an activity, as reported by authorities on wfla.com.
A photo captured by the aide depicts Otero, 59, seated on a stool, engrossed in reading a book to the class, while the boy lies on his back beneath her, held in a leg grip.
The child’s face had become flushed from his vocal outburst and tears, as he struggled to free himself from the teacher’s unconventional grip, according to the aide’s account to the authorities.
According to the report, the boy, whose identity was not disclosed, faced difficulty communicating with the police due to his disability. However, he managed to express that he had encountered some trouble at school and mentioned that he had been hurt.
During their conversation with the toddler, deputies also observed some redness on the toddler’s neck.
Otero shared with authorities that she has dedicated 36 years of her career to teaching, with a particular focus on children with special needs.
She acknowledged that it was a usual procedure to relocate a child to another room for them to regain composure, and refuted the claim of restraining the boy as described by the classroom aide.
Otero is being charged with a serious offense related to child abuse.
