Photo: Miami-Dade Corrections / Courtesy
A South Florida high school social studies teacher is accused of being romantically involved with a student, leading to his arrest and his dismissal by the school district.
The Miami-Dade Schools Police Department arrested to Rafael Birriel, age 39, teacher at Coral Reef High School, following an investigation of inappropriate behavior involving a student.
The school district said Birriel had no other problems in his 13 years of employment in Miami-Dade Public Schools.
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ALARMING ALLEGATIONS – Rafael Birriel, a former social studies teache r at Coral Reef High School, is facing two felony charges over an alleged romantic relationship with one of his students. https://t.co/qWOrqeu 67 S
– WSVN 7 News (@wsvn)
March 20, 2021
The accusation was made against her in March last year when the victim told the police that during one year he was in a relationship with the teacher and that “he became physics on one occasion”. The age of the victim is not identified in the arrest report.
The victim told police that the majority of the conversations he had with the teacher were through the Discord app.
The police were able to obtain copies of the conversations in which the two participated. Through the messages, Birriel had tried to persuade the girl to send erotic and nude photos of herself. A conversation also related a meeting at school in which Birriel kissed the student and grabbed her buttocks above her clothes after he kissed her.
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Throughout the year, police said Birriel had told the girl that he loved her , as well as his sexual attraction and his intentions towards her.
The school district has released a statement in this regard. “ This is a serious matter that is not taken lightly. As soon as the allegations were made known, the employee went withdrawn from the school and an investigation was launched. As a result of the arrest, the individual’s employment will be terminated and they will be prevented from seeking future work with the district. ”
Coral Reef Senior High Teacher Rafael Birriel Arrested, Accused Of Inappropriate Behavior With Student https://t.co/QWg1XzEvKo
– CBS4 Miami (@CBSMiami) March 39, 2021
Birriel was arrested on Monday and released from jail. He is awaiting trial, where he faces 2 felony charges against a student by of an authority figure and for prohibited use of the computer.