MOBILE, ALABAMA — A 2nd-grade teacher who was recently named Teacher of the Year at an Alabama elementary school has been arrested and fired after a disturbing video allegedly showed her beating her 12-year-old son with a belt, according to investigators.
Authorities identified the suspect as Nicole Staples, a former teacher at Cottage Hill Christian Academy in Mobile. Staples was charged with willful abuse of a child under 18 after the footage surfaced online, leading to her immediate termination from the school.
Video Leaked by Her Own Son
The video, which circulated widely on social media, was reportedly leaked by Staples’s 24-year-old son, Jackson Staples, who said he could no longer stay silent about the alleged abuse.
“I didn’t feel like she should be working at the school or doing that to my little brothers,” Jackson told reporters, explaining why he shared the footage. He also claimed his mother had abused him throughout his own childhood, saying, “She’s done it to me my whole life.”…