A South Florida teacher has been accused of committing a heinous crime with a kid.
After a girl said he sought to sexually engage with her during class, a Felix Varela High School instructor was jailed.
Andy Barbosa-Morell, 40, approached the victim at her desk on January 28th during Spanish class, leaned down and caressed the victim’s leg just below her knee and inquired if she was OK.
She told the cops she was creeped out and ignored him, then that he smiled and gazed at her.
She said she gradually put her hand down as class progressed, and that’s when he grabbed her by the back of the head and wrenched her head up and back, his hands in her hair.
Barbosa then placed his lips on the victim’s ear and murmured gently, “no hable,” according to the police report. Which means “don’t talk” in Spanish.
When the victim was leaving the classroom after class, he cried out in Spanish, “no hug?” she recalled. “Kiss me on the cheek.”
When challenged by authorities, Barbosa said he didn’t remember the incident but never denied committing it.
The incident was announced to students and parents on Wednesday night.
“I was surprised,” one pupil admitted.
One parent noted, “My son has been going here for the past two years and has never had an incident.”
One student stated that she knows the accused teacher.
“Supposedly, it’s not the first time, so for me, it’s not really shocking,” one student said.
“It’s a little uneasy, makes me feel uneasy because you are concerned as a parent,” one parent said.
“The fact that it keeps happening over and over, and it’s like these teachers aren’t learning and it just put our kids at risk,” one parent said. “The ones you trust to take care of our children are actually letting us down.”
The Miami-Dade School said they are deeply troubled by the events that took place and that Barbosa has been immediately removed from the school and will soon be fired.
