SAN ANTONIO, Texas – A preschool teacher accused of roughing up three toddlers, injuring at least one of them, not only has been arrested but also lost his job.
In a written statement sent to KSAT 12 News, a spokesperson for Excelled Montessori Plus said the school fired Alfredo Marmolejo, 29, immediately after learning about the allegations.
Marmolejo was arrested Tuesday on a charge of injury to a child.
An arrest affidavit spells out the details of the case, which stems from a Nov. 14 incident.
The affidavit says Bexar County Sheriff’s deputies were called to the school and reviewed surveillance video, which shows Marmolejo roughly handling three different children. It said he was seen grabbing a two-year-old girl by her arm, pointing in her face while yelling, then slamming her down in a chair.
The affidavit also details how Marmolejo hit a two-year-old boy in his head, then bumped another toddler with his body, causing that boy to fall and hit his head on a table.
The single charge against Marmolejo stems from the child who hit his head, the affidavit says.
The parents of one child who was not involved in the incident said they were in the dark about what happened.
Colin and Rachel Odesanya spoke to KSAT 12 News outside the school and said that, although they did receive notice about an incident there, it left them with more questions than answers.
“Just a general email saying something happened,” Colin Odesanya said. “I wondered (about) that story. Hopefully, it wasn’t, like, a molestation, or, you know, I just really wanted to know what happened.”
In an emailed statement sent on behalf of the school, Teresa Bernal said parents of the students directly involved were given details. She said the school was limited in what it could share with everyone else, although a message was sent out schoolwide.
Another statement she sent said, in part, that the school self-reported the incident immediately to the authorities and is cooperating with the investigation.
It also said that the highest priorities at Excelled Montessori are the safety, wellbeing and trust of students and their families.
“We have reached out to all our families to reassure them of our commitment to the wellbeing of their children and encouraged them to reach out to us if they have any questions,” the statement said.
The Bexar County Sheriff’s Office said that, while this appears to be a single incident, parents who fear their children may have been harmed should contact the department.
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