Miami Senior High teacher accused of sending inappropriate messages to two female students
MIAMI - A Miami Senior High School teacher was arrested after he reportedly sent inappropriate messages to two female students.
According to police, back in October, Roger Alaniz wrote his personal phone number on a paper a female student was working on. She ignored it. He then reportedly began asking her why she hadn't added him to the contacts in her phone or why she had texted him.
The student told police that one day, the 24-year-old approached with phone in hand and asked her to put her number in. She told police she did it because she felt pressured.
Alaniz then reportedly began texting her. The girl said the conversation was normal at first, then took an uncomfortable turn.
"Alaniz then messaged her, 'I think I might have a crush on you. Is that weird?'," according to the arrest report.
The teen told police after that, she tried to avoid being alone with him. She said she purposely arrived late to class or would wait for friends to enter the class.
According to police, the girl said she didn't report it because she didn't want to give him the satisfaction that his comment affected her.
"However, she felt guilty about not reporting it because she could have stopped him from reaching out to other girls," according to the arrest report.
It eventually came out and Miami-Dade Schools police launched an investigation and interviewed the teen on December 14th.
On the same day, they also spoke with a second female student about her interaction with Alaniz.
The teen said in November 2023, Alaniz sent her a friend request on Instagram. She said she accepted and asked him a question about a class assignment.
Alaniz reportedly asked for her number and then started to message her. At first had conversations about school, according to the teen, but they then got more personal. Alaniz reportedly gave her advice about her personal problems with friends and boys.
The teen said one time, Alaniz invited her to go out with him to watch a movie and drive around town. She said after that she ignored his messages. Alaniz reportedly told her if she continued to do so her grades would be affected. When she told him she wanted a different teacher, Alaniz told her she would not be able to get out of his class, and if she did, he would find her, according to police.
The teen told police she didn't report what had happened earlier because she feared Alaniz.
Both of the girls provided police with copies of their messages with Alaniz.
On April 10th, Alaniz was taken into custody at Miami-Dade Schools Police headquarters. He's been charged with child abuse with no harm and offense against a student by an authority figure.
Students at the school said they were concerned.
Junior Kate Valdes told CBS News Miami's Peter D'Oench "I feel uncomfortable knowing there is a teacher at the school capable of this."
Junior Francis Figueroa said, "I am uncomfortable there was someone working around kids like this."
Another Junior Brendha Ballester said, "If I was a mother I wouldn't want a man who was arrested for something like this to be around children."
Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Mindy Glazer ordered the firmer teacher to stay away from the victims and the school and set bond at $15,000. In court, we learned he had no prior arrests.
Psychologist Maribel Del Rio-Roberts said there are warning signs for parents.
She said, "Some of those include being things like them being overly protective of phones and trying to hide them or sleeping with them under a pillow. Sometimes you may see grades drastically dropping or improving without much motivation concerning work being put into studies. It is very important you say you respect their privacy while expressing the need to make sure they are safe and acting responsibly."
She said, "Talk to them without fear of judgment or punishment. Stay calm as a parent. If you freak out your child will shut down and they are not going to be as forthcoming. Listen to what they are saying and avoid jumping to conclusions."
On Friday afternoon, the District released the following statement:
"Miami-Dade County Public Schools (M-DCPS) is profoundly troubled by the concerning allegations made against the former employee, leading to his arrest. Upon learning about this suspected behavior, he was immediately reassigned away from the school while Miami-Dade Schools Police conducted their investigation, and his employment with the District was subsequently terminated. M-DCPS goes to great lengths to provide a safe school environment for our students and employees; all new teachers undergo ethics and civil rights compliance/Title IX training as part of their onboarding. This individual will be precluded from seeking future employment with the District."
