A Florida mother named Kandy Escotto is demanding that a former "Teacher of the Year" be removed from the classroom after Kandy secretly recorded the teacher verbally abusing her five-year-old son multiple times. Escotto told Local10 News that her son Aaron started "behaving super weird," and would cry when she took him to school.
"He said that he didn't want to go to school -- that they were not being nice to him," Escotto said.
Escotto explained that she spoke with the teacher as well as officials at the school about concerns that her son was being bulled in the classroom. When the district did nothing, she decided to take matters into her own hands and placed a recording device in Aaron's backpack and recorded four days worth of classes. What she heard shocked her.
The teacher, who has been with the district since 1985, was heard calling him a "loser" and making fun of him for not knowing correct answers to her questions. At one point, the teacher even insulted Kandy.
“You still don’t know how to write? I don’t know what to say to your mom. She is driving me crazy. Why is she driving me crazy?
“I feel sorry for your mom. I really do. She is a little lost.”
Escotto had Aaron moved to another class, where his grades improved, but she is demanding that the teacher lose her job.
The Miami-Dade County school district has opened up an investigation into Escotto's claims and issued a statement to the Miami Herald saying they "work diligently to ensure the well-being of every child entrusted to our care."
"Miami-Dade County Public Schools goes to great lengths to promote a culture of dignity and respect, not only among our students but with our employees. We work diligently to ensure the well-being of every child entrusted to our care. Any action that runs contrary to the values we instill in our school community will not be tolerated. The district will conduct a thorough review of this matter and, if the allegations are substantiated, we will take any and all appropriate disciplinary actions."