A South Florida teacher is behind bars after attempting to get a female student to engage in an intimate act with him.
The shocking incident occurred on January 28th when 40-year-old Spanish teacher Andy Barbosa-Morell approached the girl while she was sitting at her desk. Barbosa leaned down, caressed her leg, and asked if she was okay. The student was instantly “creeped out” and asked him why he was staring at her. That same day while the victim had her head down on her desk, Barbosa gripped her hair and jerked her head back. He then boldly placed his lips on her ear and whispered, “No hable,” which is Spanish for “do not speak.” The reckless teacher then forcefully pushed the victim’s head forward.” The girl became afraid of Barbosa at this point, but the abuse did not stop there. When the bell rang for the class to end, the victim quickly tried to hurry out of the class before the teacher could say anything else. However, he said, “Give me a kiss” in Spanish.
The teen fled the classroom and sought help. After speaking with multiple students who were in class that day, authorities were able to corroborate her story.
Though the student followed all necessary steps to report the incident, not everyone believed her story.
“Nobody believes it,” community theatre actor teacher, Gerardo Riveron, stated. “Honestly, you can’t say, but I wait that justice is served. I wait that he is found innocent.”
Barbosa has been charged with child abuse and offenses against a student by an authority figure. Miami-Dade County Public Schools released a statement confirming that they’d begun the “termination process.”
