School sacks teacher for reporting case of pre-teen student being sexually abused by her stepfather

A Florida teacher, Diana Castella, has said she was sacked by the Brownsville Middle School because she reported an alleged sexual abuse case.

Castella was a part-time teacher in the school's iPrep program when a preteen student told her that her stepfather 'lays on top of her,' suggesting sexual abuse.

The teacher then told another educator's advice because she did not know how to go about reporting the case.

The next morning, she told the school's counsellor about the child's accusation.

When the Department of Childhood Services questioned the abuse victim, without Castella in the room, she revealed that she had been molested by her step-father several times.

Daily Mail reports that the Police then arrested the stepfather and charged him with child molestation and lewd and lascivious conduct.

Surprisingly, she was told by the school's principal that she was also being investigated for not reporting the abuse soon enough and also allowed the girl to go back home to the allegedly abusive father.

A Miami-Dade County Schools official told NBC 6 the norm is to report a 'potential abuse case ...immediately'.

Castella however told NBC 6 that she was sacked for reporting the case, rather than reporting late.

"Administrators and Miami-Dade County Public Schools don't like snitchers. They like everything to be brushed under the rug," she said.

She believes that she is being punished for doing the right thing and her sack is not related to the abuse case.

"I became a teacher for my students," she said.

"I didn't become a teacher to save the reputation of a school."

The district has witnessed two student-teacher abuse cases in the past two weeks.