Oct 7, 2009 1:01 pm US/Eastern
Fmr. Teacher Sentenced For Spiking Student's Soda
MIAMI (CBS4) ―
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Sylvia Tagle was convicted on child abuse charges for putting hot sauce in an autistic boy's soda.
CBS
A former Miami Lakes special education teacher was sentenced Wednesday for child abuse after being found guilty of putting hot sauce in an autistic student's soda.
Sylvia Tagle was sentenced to two years probation and 100 hours community service.
The boy's parents were outraged at what they call a "lenient" sentence. "It's really sad and you know what? It really, really sends a bad message to everyone," father Mario Serralta told the judge.
Last month, Tagle was convicted of abuse after she gave a soda with hot sauce in it to the Bob Graham Educational Center student to teach him a lesson. Tagle says the boy grabbed the soda from her desk when she was with other students.
Tagle no longer works at Bob Graham Educational Center or any Miami-Dade County Public School.
"Any child that goes to school deserves a safe place," mother Annabelle Serralta said, "and to think that I thought he was in a safe place in the safe hands, and to have someone harm him there is really upsetting.
Tagle could have faced up to five years in prison. Elated that the embarrassing case had come to an end with no prison time, the former teacher maintained she loves her job and the children she teaches.
"I love all my autistic children," she told
CBS4 News. "That's why I've done it for so many years. It's not an easy task but I love doing it. And whatever happened was not done intentionally."
CBS4's John MacLauchlan contributed to this report.
(© MMX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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