A Miami mother is demanding answers after claiming that a pre-K teacher at Lorah Park Elementary School disciplined her 5-year-old daughter by placing tape over her mouth.
Lationa Sterling, the mother of the child, said she learned about the incident from her daughter’s godmother, whose child, Janaya, witnessed it in their pre-kindergarten classroom.
“We were sitting at home on Friday night watching TV,” said Janaya’s mother, identified as Clay. “She looked over at me and said, ‘Mom, Miss New Year’s put tape over Treasure’s mouth.’”
Sterling and Clay say they reported the incident to the school and Miami-Dade Schools Police.
The teacher allegedly sent a text message apologizing, stating, “It won’t happen again,” but also claimed the children “asked for it.”
“Abuse has been done to my goddaughter,” Clay said. “That was very abusive for anybody to place tape over her mouth, and knowing that when you remove the tape, it’s painful as well.”
Miami-Dade County Public Schools confirmed that the teacher has been reassigned. However, the parents say they plan to withdraw their children from the school.
