BREAKING NEWS – Jacksonville, Florida – A “Teacher of the Year” in Florida was arrested after she allegedly struck a minor in the face – causing a nosebleed – after the student posted a message on Instagram questioning the educator’s selection for the top honor, according to a report.
Caroline Melanie Lee, the 60-year-old teacher at Darnell-Cookman Middle/High School, was subsequently arrested.
The alleged incident occurred after some Instagram commenters questioned Lee being tapped for the honor, the paper reported. One issue that was raised was Lee’s use of the N-word in class, the report said. Lee brushed off the criticism and said she only used the word while reading from John Steinbeck’s 1937 classic “Of Mice and Men.”
School surveillance video showed Lee “walking at an aggressive pace” to her classroom before the incident.
“I am the teacher of the year,” she explained to the responding officer. “That title means I know the best methods on how to deal with students, which sometimes includes me employing controlled violence toward them, and occasionally inflicting some serious non-life-threatening injuries.”