Substitute teacher in Hialeah arrested, accused of molesting students, police say

A contracted substitute teacher at a Hialeah middle school has been arrested on accusations that he inappropriately touched three students, police say.

Elmer Melendez, 42, first came onto police radar in early December when Heriberto Sanchez, principal of Palm Springs Middle School, told police he received an email from a concerned parent accusing Melendez of touching a 13-year-old student and two other girls between September and November inside classrooms, according to his arrest report.

The alleged victims told police that Melendez had touched their breasts and genital areas over their clothing but said they had been afraid to come forward because of his position as an authority figure.

In a statement to the Miami Herald, the school district said it is “profoundly disturbed by the concerning allegations made against this individual, leading to his arrest.”

Melendez was not a district employee but worked for Kelly Services, an employment agency that the school system has used to hire substitute teachers since last year, according to police and the district.

Kelly Education, the education division of Kelly Services, says it takes all reports of inappropriate behavior by substitute teachers seriously and that it is cooperating with the district and law enforcement.

“The safety and well-being of students across Miami-Dade County Public Schools are our top priorities,” Danielle Nixon, Kelly Education’s director of public relations, said in a statement to the Herald. “The former substitute teacher is no longer an employee of Kelly Education.”

Melendez had passed all screenings before employment, including comprehensive background and fingerprint checks, which cover local, state and national criminal records, as well as the National Sex Offender Registry, according to Nixon.

The district said Melendez will be “precluded from serving as a substitute teacher or in any other capacity in the District.”

Melendez was arrested on Thursday by the Miami-Dade County Public Schools Police Department at its headquarters after he came in for an interview. Police say he was taken to Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center.

He was charged with seven counts of lewd and lascivious molestation against a child between 12 and 16 years old, three counts of offenses against students by authority figures, and three counts of lewd and lascivious behavior.

He remains locked up as of Friday afternoon after being denied bond. Court records indicate he is being represented by the public defender’s office, but no specific attorney has been assigned to his case at this time.

Kelly Services

This is not the first time a substitute teacher hired by Kelly Services has been locked up in Miami-Dade.

George Henry Rafols — a 37-year-old substitute teacher at the Air Base K-8 Center in Homestead — was arrested in September on child pornography charges after a nearly yearlong investigation that began with a tip in October 2023, according to Homestead police.

READ MORE: Teacher left Dade Schools for unknown reason. Child-porn charge came after returning

Rafols was employed by Miami-Dade schools from 2016 to October 2023, the same month the investigation into him began, according to district spokesperson Elmo Lugo. It is unclear why he left the district that October, according to Lugo.

He was subsequently employed by Kelly Services and continued working as a substitute. According to Lugo, the district was unaware of the investigation involving Rafols until Homestead police alerted school police just before his arrest.

In an October 2023 press release, the district announced it would be partnering with Kelly Education to “provide exceptional substitute teachers.”

Kelly Education has since become the employer for all Miami-Dade County substitute teachers.

READ MORE: In Miami-Dade Schools, all you need to be a substitute teacher is a GED degree

This story was originally published December 20, 2024 at 3:26 PM.