HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, Fla. — An assistant teacher at a Florida voluntary prekindergarten program is accused of pushing a student out of a chair and then throwing the child to the floor several minutes later, authorities said.
Nicole Rose Franklino, 32, was arrested Thursday and charged with one count of felony child abuse, according to the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office.
According to an arrest report, the incident occurred at around 11 a.m. Wednesday, WFLA reported. While the arrest report does not give an exact location, the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office’s online booking records list Franklino’s employer as the Happy Days School.
Franklino was released Friday after posting $2,000 bail, according to Hillsborough County court records.
The arrest report states that Franklino “willfully and maliciously” put her hand on a girl’s back and forcefully pushed her out of her chair, WFLA reported. The child laid on the floor crying and holding her back for about four minutes, the television station reported.
The sheriff’s office then said Franklino “forcefully and maliciously” grabbed the girl by her side, lifted her off the ground and threw her onto the floor of another classroom before walking away. The arrest report also states that the child landed on her feet before her knees hit the floor, WFLA reported. The girl, whose age was not released, hit her head on the side of a nearby table, the television station reported.
Deputies said the child suffered minor swelling and a minor bruise along the side of her rib cage. The incident was caught on surveillance video.