Jean Dorvil, 56, teaches preschool at a Miami Head Start program at an area elementary school. Head Start is a government-run program designed to give disadvantaged children pre-kindergarten education to encourage their academic growth in the long term. The program is operated similarly to other preschool programs and the children are entrusted to the teachers' care. Dorvil, however, has been accused of abusing the young children he teaches.
According to Miami-Dade law enforcement officials, Dorvil has been charged with multiple counts of child abuse, including one count of aggravated child abuse with great bodily harm. He is currently being detained and no bond has been set due to the serious nature of the charges against him. Police have described Dorvil's alleged crimes: he struck three children on separate occasions, one of whom lying down during nap time when the incident occurred. Dorvil has admitted to kicking two of the children in his care and police say his admissions were key to bringing the charges. He has been suspended from his teaching position.
The state of Florida has mandatory reporting provisions in its child welfare code. Certain individuals, such as teachers and social workers, are legally required to report instances of suspected child abuse or child neglect to the state. In this case, authorities investigating the incidents discovered that at least one member of the Head Start staff at the Charles R. Drew Elementary school program was aware of the instances of abuse - yet failed to fulfill the mandatory reporting. If the staffer had reported the abuse at an earlier date, Dorvil's behavior would have been investigated and he likely would have been removed from his position prior to the most recent incident.
State child welfare officials believe that Dorvil may have abused students prior to these incidents due to allegations dating back as far as 2002. A spokesperson for the Florida Department of Children and Families said, ''We are working with law enforcement to gather all the available information so that we can make our findings." In the meantime, the agency is reminding the Miami school system of the importance of reporting suspected abuse to the agency's hotline.
The original article is available here.
If you have been accused of abusing or neglecting a child, contact the experienced criminal defense attorneys at the Musca Law Miami office.
