MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. – A South Florida high school teacher is facing several charges for allegedly sexually molesting a student.
Some of her Neighbors spoke to Local 10 News on and off camera, saying Jeanette Valle-Tejeda had a normal life, with a husband and a family.
Valle-Tejada did not appear in court on Monday. The assistant public defender said she wouldn’t be showing up.
Valle-Tejeda remains in jail though, given no bond by the judge. The veteran educator is facing a number of disturbing charges.
She was a teacher for 20 years with the Miami-Dade County School District, but police said she sexually abused several victims, the youngest being an 11-year-old girl.
Neighbors who spoke with Local 10 News said they would chat with her on walks, where Valle-Tejeda would have her toddler with her.
They insist they’ve never seen parties, let alone students, at her home.
But a former student came forward, telling the principal at Hialeah High School that Valle-Tejeda sexually molested her while she was a student at Henry H. Filer Middle School in 2009, adding the abuse continued through her high school years.
Detectives said Valle-Tejeda presented herself as a mother figure to students, giving rides and spending time with them. There are witnesses describing weird relationships which led authorities to track down two other victims, all with similar stories, they said.
Local 10 learned in one case, the victim was absent from school nearly a dozen times; Valle-Tejeda was also absent on those days.
She taught at several different schools over the past 20 years.
The school system has since terminated Valle-Tejeda, preventing her from seeking future employment as well.