MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. – A Miami-Dade teacher was arrested Monday after he fractured a 12-year-old boy’s arm while trying to stop the boy from play fighting with other students, authorities said.
According to his arrest report, Joel Insilo, 30, of Miami Beach, worked for KIPP Miami Public Schools. KIPP is a public charter school -- part of a non-profit group of college-preparatory schools for early education.
Insilo posted to social media several weeks ago that he had accepted a job offer to be the dean of students for KIPP Miami for the 2023-2024 school year.
Insilo’s arrest came after Miami-Dade police said he grabbed the victim by both arms and tossed him, causing the boy to fall and land on his left arm at the school, located at 3000 NW 110th St.
The boy was transported to Jackson Memorial Hospital, where it was discovered that his left arm was fractured.
According to the teacher’s arrest report, Insilo responded to the police station after the incident and provided detectives a statement, which was redacted from the publicly released report.
He was arrested on a charge of aggravated child abuse causing great bodily harm and was transported to the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center.
Insilo appeared in bond court Tuesday and was ordered to not have contact with the victim, either directly or indirectly, and to stay at least 20 feet away from the victim at all times.
He bonded out of jail Tuesday night and shielded his face from cameras while refusing to answer any questions.
“We are deeply saddened to confirm that a student was injured yesterday on campus,” a spokesperson for KIPP Miami said in a statement Tuesday to Local 10 News. “Our faculty worked swiftly to ensure medical attention was received. An investigation has been launched and we are fully cooperating with authorities. As of the time of the incident, the involved employee was removed from campus and is no longer employed at KIPP Miami. We continue to be in contact with the student’s family and are working to support them during this time.”