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A former Alabama teacher was arrested and fired after a video emerged allegedly showing her striking her child more than 20 times with a belt, police said.
Randi Nicole Staples, a 44-year-old who worked at the Cottage Hill Christian Academy, is now charged with willful abuse of a child under 18, according to WALA.
“Discipline is supposed to be for corrective action. That went way beyond that,” Mobile County Sheriff Paul Burch said. “Snatch him up by his hair and yell and curse the way that she did, working for a Christian school, I thought was repulsive. It’s sickening to see somebody do that to their child.”
The station cited the Mobile County Sheriff’s Office as saying that the alleged abuse happened after the child had not completed chores in the manner that Staples wanted them done.
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“It’s almost like a dual personality. Because by all accounts, I’m told she is a good teacher and well respected. And yet what happens in the home is clearly opposite of that,” Burch also said, according to NBC 15.
The Mobile County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement that, “A video recorded by a family member appears to show Randi Nicole Staples instructing her 12-year-old son to lay across the arm of their sofa inside the residence in Grand Bay, Alabama.”
“Staples then allegedly struck her son on his bottom and legs approximately 20 times with a belt, during which the son can be heard pleading for her to stop,” the statement continued, adding that deputies “interviewed several witnesses and found that other children living in the home had encountered similar actions.”
“There’s an adult who no longer lives in the home that has contributed some information that is significant to the investigation. This is an active investigation and we are continuing to interview others involved,” Burch said in a statement. “The other children in the home are in a safe place right now, that both parents agreed to, and that was our first priority. We want to make sure they are provided the services they need to move forward.
There could be additional charges forthcoming as this investigation unfolds.”
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The Academy, which has two locations in Mobile, told NBC 15 in a statement that it is “committed to providing a safe, nurturing, and Christ-centered environment for all students,” and that, “This commitment guides every action our school takes regarding student welfare and staff conduct.”
“On November 19, 2025, school leadership was made aware of concerns involving the off-campus conduct of an elementary teacher toward her minor child at her personal residence. Although the incident did not occur on school property, the nature of the information required immediate administrative action,” the statement continued.
“Upon learning of the alleged misconduct, the school acted swiftly and decisively, relieving the teacher of her duties and placing her on administrative leave pending a full review,” it also said. “Following the findings of law enforcement, which determined that the teacher had engaged in improper conduct unrelated to her school responsibilities, an arrest was made and Cottage Hill Christian Academy terminated her employment in accordance with institutional policy.”
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Staples was released from jail on Wednesday after posting a $7,500 bond, WALA reported.
Fox News Digital’s Adriana James-Rodil contributed to this report.
