Doral charter middle school art teacher sexually assaulted a 14-year-old student, cops say
An art teacher at a Doral charter middle school has been arrested after police say he sexually assaulted a 14-year-old student during the 2020 school year.
Daniel Fernandez, 36, who taught at Renaissance Middle Charter School, 8360 NW 33rd St., was taken into custody Friday and now faces a charge of lewd and lascivious battery on a child between the ages of 12 and 16. He was released Saturday on a $7,500 bond, court records show.
According to police, Fernandez “confessed to the allegations” during questioning.
Court records list Leyana Quintero, with Miami-Dade’s Public Defender’s Office, as his attorney. Quintero did not immediately respond to a request for comment Monday night.
The student told police that Fernandez was her eighth grade teacher last year and that “he kissed her on the lips almost every day,” an officer wrote in his arrest report.
Police also say he also touched her inappropriately and once molested her in a storage closet in the classroom.
A spokeswoman for the charter school said Fernandez has since been fired.
“Our highest priority is the safety and security of our students, and we will not tolerate anyone treating students in a way that makes them feel uncomfortable,” the school said in a statement. “It is our policy that if ever we receive an allegation of inappropriate behavior, we take swift and immediate action to remove the individual from campus, notify and engage law enforcement, and conduct a thorough investigation. All employees must pass a thorough background check prior to working with us. We encourage students and parents to always inform us as quickly as possible if there is ever a concern that needs to be addressed and we will take all appropriate actions to ensure our students are safe.”
The school would not comment further on Fernandez, citing the open investigation.
Miami-Dade police are asking anyone who may have been victimized by Fernandez or has information to call 911 or the Special Victims Bureau at 305-715-3300.
This story was originally published October 4, 2021 at 9:23 PM.
