Former Alabama teacher of the year Randi Nicole Jackson Staples has been arrested after a viral video surfaced that appears to show her allegedly beating her son with a belt.
Staples, 44, of Grand Bay, Alabama, was arrested on Nov. 16 and charged with willful child abuse of a child under 18, according to arrest records. The arrest followed the spread of a video online that local outlet Fox 10 reports shows Staples striking her 12-year-old son with a belt.
She was released from Metro Jail in Mobile on Wednesday, Nov. 19. Staples’ oldest son, 24-year-old Jackson Staples, told Fox 10 that he received the video from one of his siblings and shared it publicly. An attorney for Staples was contacted for comment.
“I didn’t feel like she should be working at the school or even doing that to my little brothers,” Jackson told Fox 10, adding that he says he experienced similar treatment growing up. He described the incident as stemming from an argument over kitchen chores, saying his younger brother went to a neighbor’s house and, after returning, the situation escalated.
In the video, a woman alleged to be Staples is seen hitting the boy with a belt while shouting as he cries. At one point, the woman appears to pull him by the hair and slam him to the floor.
Mobile County Sheriff Paul Burch called the alleged behavior shown in the video “egregious.”
“I’m all about disciplining a child if you have problems with them,” Burch told Fox 10. “If that involves a spanking, everybody disciplines their children different ways, but that was way above and beyond any form of discipline.”
Staples worked as a teacher at Cottage Hill Christian Academy in Mobile, where she had previously been named Teacher of the Year.
“Cottage Hill Christian Academy prioritizes the well-being of children above all else,” Head of School Chris Brazell said, according to local outlet WKRG. “We will always act promptly, transparently, and responsibly when matters arise that may impact the safety or integrity of our school community.”
