Hillsborough County teacher, Esraa Soliman, accused of child abuse, claims she is innocent

TAMPA - Esraa Soliman, a temporary teacher at Seminole Heights Elementary school, says she would never abuse a child.

"No, I didn't do that," she says emphatically as she explains her side of the story.  She claims what police and the Hillsborough County School District are accusing her of is nothing short of the truth. 

Allegations that she dragged a 5-year-old student with Autism by his bookbag, forced him to sit down and shoved a shoe is his face, just didn't happen. 

She says after the student threw his shoes at her, she was just showing him what not to do... showing him that it isn't right to throw things at others.  She says, in fact, she is the victim.

"I was just trying to get him to stop.  The next thing is he grabbed my hand  [and bit it] and then I tried to pull my hand out of his mouth."

She says this wasn't the first time that student was violent with her either.  The Seminole Heights teacher says he has tried throwing chairs, stabbing her with a plastic fork and even spitting on her. 

Soliman says she has had issued in the classroom of seven students with Autism since the school year started.  She says she reported the incidents, but never got help.  A claim the school district denies.

"It is not true that we did not respond to that," says Steve Hegarty with the Hillsborough County School District.  "I was just on the phone with the Principal of that school who was describing another special education specialist that has been working with her."

Soliman says she should have never been in that classroom to begin with because she isn't certified to teach special needs students.  Hegarty says that may be true, but the district has protocol for those instances.

"When we bring someone in to do that job, first of all we bring someone in to help, they also sign an agreement to earn so that they become trained and better at handling whatever that exceptionality is and that was all done in this case."

When we talked to Soliman at her home Thursday, she told us she believes she is being treated this way because the school district takes issue with the fact that she is Muslim; to which Hegarty said the following.

"Its a question of whether she crossed the line in the way that she responded to it.  Its got nothing to do with her background and I'm surprised to hear you say that."

Hegarty says at this time the teacher has been put on administrative leave with pay until the school board can meet about her future.  As for Soliman, she says she has gotten a lawyer and she plans to fight the allegations against her, still contending that she is innocent.

Soliman says she should have never been in that classroom because she isn't certified to teach special needs children.  Steve Hegarty says that may be true--- but the district has protocol for those instances.

"When we bring someone in to do that job, first of all we bring someone in to help, they also sign an agreement to earn so that they become trained and better at handling whatever that exceptionality is and that was all done in this case."

When we talked to Soliman at her home today--- she told us she believes she is being treated this way because the school district takes issue with the fact that she is Muslim, to which Hegarty responded:

"Its a question of whether she crossed the line in the way that she responded to it.  Its got nothing to do with her background and I'm surprised to hear you say that."