Florida Teacher Arrested For Biting 2 Students Over A Jar Of Pickles

The incident took place in 2021 in which a Florida teacher was accused of biting two students over a jar of pickles, and she is being charged.

According to a representative for the Polk County Public School District, special education teacher Rhonda Rice, claimed that she was only "playing around with students" when she bit them.

She bit two teenage students at Bartow Middle School's school LinkedIn

After the incident at Bartow Middle School in November 2021, she was moved to Sleepy Hill Middle School, where she is now an "active teacher," according to Kyle Kennedy, a spokesman for Polk Public Schools. She was suspended for three days following the event.

One of the children's aunts, Kathy Toro, said WFLA that Rice tried to steal a jar of pickles while her 15-year-old nephew and another male student were working in the school store.

Bartow Middle School suspended Rice for three days. WFLA

Whether Rice intended to take it is unknown, but when the two students attempted to reclaim the jar, Rice is reported to have bit both of them.

'She just bit them on the forearm and, of course, they released and she was able to get the pickles but there are other ways to do that,' Toro said. 

The aunt of one of the students filed charges against Rice. WFLA

It's unclear if the incident resulted in injuries for them. According to Dailymail.com, the Bartow Police Department is unable to comment on the incident.

Both students informed the faculty about Rice's actions, and the faculty informed Bartow Middle School about the event.

Additionally, Toro reported Rice to the Bartow Police Department in November and filed charges against him.

Police claim that since then, Rice has acknowledged 'licking' the students but hasn't admitted to biting them.

'Even if it was and she did lick him, I don't believe she did, it's still not acceptable to me,' Toro said.

After the event, Rice was put on administrative leave by Bartow Middle School for three days while an internal investigation was conducted. After that, she left school.

'Although she described her actions as playing around with students, we expect our employees to act professionally and serve as models of mature behavior,' said Jason Geary, a Polk County Public Schools spokesperson, in a statement. 'They must set a good example for students to follow, and anything less is unacceptable,' he added.

In her 22 years as a teacher in the Polk County Public Schools system, Rice has been involved in four situations that are similar to this one, according to WFLA, so this isn't the first time she's had to deal with disciplinary action.

She received a verbal and written reprimand in September and December of 2001 as a result of her lack of preparation for classes at Boone Middle School.

As a result of Rice's excessive usage of a district-issued computer for "personal business" rather than for teaching or lesson preparation in July 2008, Sleepy Hill Middle School suspended her for one day.

The teacher received a verbal warning and written confirmation from the same school in March 2015 for "repeated failure to complete a scheduled IEP in a timely manner."

Since 2000, Rice has worked as a teacher for the Polk County Public Schools organization.