Florida Teacher Charged For Allegedly Biting Students Over Jar Of Pickles

A Florida teacher is facing charges after she was accused of biting two students over a jar of pickles, WFLA reports.

The incident allegedly happened in October 2021 when two Bartow Middle School students were working at the school store. Rhonda Rice reportedly tried taking a jar of pickles from the store, prompting the students to grab it in an attempt to take the pickles back.

That's when Rice, 63, allegedly bit both the students in the forearms, making them let go, according to reporters. She told school administrators she was "playing around" with the victims, a Polk County Public Schools spokesperson says.

“I think she needs to learn what she did and what she did was wrong,” Kathy Toro, the aunt of one of the students, told WFLA. "She just bit them on the forearm and, of course, they released and she was able to get the pickles but there’s other ways to do that."

Toro, who herself is a teacher, pressed charges against Rice in November. She then went to the news station when she noticed no actions were taken against the middle school teacher.

Bartow Police and the state attorney's office filed two misdemeanor charges against Rice, who's set to be arraigned on March 31. She no longer works at Bartow Middle School but was relocated to Sleep Hill Middle School following a suspension and administrative leave, according to reporters.

"Although she described her actions as playing around with students, we expect our employees to act professionally and serve as models of mature behavior," Polk County Public Schools spokesperson Jason Geary wrote in a statement. "They must set a good example for students to follow, and anything less is unacceptable."