No Charges For Suspended Teacher At Prestigious Miami-Dade Prep School

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MIAMI (CBSMiami) -- A teacher at a prominent Miami-Dade prep school will not be charged in connection with an alleged battery at the school.

In February, long-time Belen Jesuit Preparatory School English teacher Cristina Ramirez was accused by a 16-year-old student of having other students tie him to a chair and pelt him with a variety of objects, including shoes.  It was punishment for not bringing a required donation to class for the school's annual festival.

Miami-Dade police investigated the case and wrote the incident up as an "aggravated battery," naming the teacher and a minor student as the offenders.

But the Miami-Dade State Attorney's office has closed the case and no one will be charged.

Assistant State Attorney Laura Adams, in a close-out memo, called the teacher's behavior "ill-advised," and "wholly inappropriate," but said that because the teen did not suffer any physical injury or serious mental harm, the teacher's actions did not rise to the level of bringing a charge of child abuse or any other criminal charge.

Ramirez, however, remains barred from the prestigious, all-male school. She's been a teacher at the school for more than 25 years.  A spokesperson for Belen declined to comment beyond confirming that Ramirez remains suspended from her teaching duties, and may not come on campus.

Ramirez has hired a labor attorney in an effort to regain her job.

Attorney Diane Perez, representing Ramirez against the school, replied with a "no comment" in response to an inquiry from CBS4 News.