A teacher at Aspire Preparatory Academy in Miami Gardens has been arrested and is facing charges of child abuse after accusations surfaced that she hit a 5-year-old student with a ruler. Local 10 News reports that the educator, identified as 25-year-old Chrishawn Nicholson, was taken into custody last Thursday following an investigation into an incident that occurred on November 19.

The child’s mother initially believed that the boy had injured himself with a pencil, which Nicholson suggested, but a hospital evaluation disputed the explanation. According to NBC Miami, the mother stated that the hospital staff informed her a pencil could not have been the cause of the wound. She provided authorities with a cellphone video of her son, where he described the teacher hitting him with the ruler.

During Nicholson’s court appearance, Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Mindy Glazer set her bond at $5,000 and established a no-contact order with the victim. Despite the allegations, Glazer mentioned, “I’m not going to prohibit her from working in her profession... there are two sides to every story." Both Local 10 News and NBC Miami reached out to Aspire Preparatory Academy for comments, however, they have yet to receive a response.

In court, a prosecutor highlighted the severity of the allegations stating, "The allegations are that she hit a 5-year-old with a ruler, the 5-year-old required medical treatment, and there’s a video where she said, 'I did pop him,'" a narrative that underscores the nature of the charges faced by Nicholson, according to NBC Miami.