WESTCHESTER, Fla. – Miami-Dade County Public Schools confirmed Friday that an employee at Coral Park Elementary School has been removed from the site pending the outcome of an ongoing investigation into allegations of verbal and emotional abuse of students during lunchtime.
At the center of the controversy is a new cafeteria monitor brought in by the school’s principal, Susana Suarez, who began her tenure this school year.
Multiple parents have come forward, accusing the monitor of mistreating students, particularly during lunchtime.
Jorge Del Rio, whose son is a 5th grader at Coral Park Elementary, filed a formal complaint with Miami-Dade County Schools Police. Del Rio claims the cafeteria worker was “treating the kids like this is a correctional facility” and “humiliating them” by separating them from others and blowing a whistle in their ears.
“The lunch lady is out of control,” one parent wrote in a WhatsApp message thread that documents the growing frustration among families.
The thread contains complaints about the cafeteria monitor, accusing her of not letting students go to the bathroom and taking trays away from children while they were still eating.
The messages reveal an escalating concern among parents, with one stating their son was left in tears, and others expressing fear that their younger children were being discredited simply because they were “yelled at constantly.”
One mother, whose child has special needs, shared a particularly upsetting experience.
She claims the cafeteria monitor threw away her son’s food while he was still eating, citing that he was taking too long to finish his lunch.
She told Local 10 News that her son requires extra time due to his condition. For many parents, these incidents have become more than just minor complaints — they have become a rallying cry for action.
As the complaints mounted, the parents’ grievances turned towards Suarez, who they believe was slow to act on their concerns. Several parents noted that they felt the principal was avoiding the issue because she was the one who had hired the cafeteria monitor.
“I think she’s avoiding this because she is the one that brought that lady,” another parent wrote in the WhatsApp thread.
In response to the growing unrest, Del Rio met with school leadership and filed a formal police report, accusing both the cafeteria monitor of abuse and Suarez of negligence.
The Miami-Dade County School District issued a statement confirming that the employee had been removed, adding that the district followed proper procedures in investigating the matter. They also addressed accusations from Del Rio that his son had been suspended in retaliation for his complaints.
According to the district, the suspension followed the guidelines set forth in the student code of conduct and was not connected to the cafeteria monitor investigation.
District 36 State Senator Ileana Garcia also got involved, meeting with several parents and school officials.
Garcia shared her frustration with the length of the investigation, stating, “I think a month was a good enough time to investigate the person in the cafeteria, and it shouldn’t have been the media that stepped out for you to finally think, ‘Well, maybe we should have gotten rid of this person. Hopefully in the future, we won’t see any more of this.
The district also reassured parents that the employee’s removal was part of a thorough investigation.