Teacher accused of choking, inappropriately touching girl

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A Biltmore Elementary School teacher is being accused of choking and touching a girl inappropriately.

Channel 4 is not identifying either while the case is being investigated by Jacksonville police and the Department of Children and Families.

The girl said the male teacher would follow her into the bathroom to help her and touch her inappropriately. She said he put his hands around her neck and told her to "be good."

Her parents said they met with the principal twice Monday, and as of now, the teacher will not be removed from the classroom, although the school is willing to move the girl to another class.

Her mom kept her daughter home from school Monday and is considering enrolling her into another school.

"I'm very, very angry about it, and the things that I'm thinking right now in my head that I would do to this man, I don't even have words for it right now," said Myesha Rountree, the girl's mother.

"It's unfair to the other kids who are in the classroom and their parents who don't even know what's going on right now," said Reginald Hearst, the girl's father.

DCF is looking into the allegations.

"We are investigating. We do take these allegations very seriously," said DCF spokesman John Harrell. "In fact, we began a few hours after receiving word of the allegations. We want to investigate thoroughly talking to other students, employees and to parents as well."

The girl's mom said a couple other students in the classroom made similar claims about their teacher.