WEST MELBOURNE, Fla. – A preschool teacher was arrested after surveillance footage captured her repeatedly striking toddlers in her care with multiple objects, West Melbourne police said.
According to the affidavit, the abuse occurred at Mustard Seed Kidz on Eber Boulevard between May 19 and May 26. On Wednesday, the school director contacted police after a parent reported Latasha Mullings, 41, had flicked a student in the face. Surveillance footage showed Mullings striking five children — ages 2 to 4 — with a metal stapler, a shoe, a bucket, a stuffed animal, and her open hand across 11 incidents.
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Footage also showed her flicking and pinching children, grabbing them by their shirts, and, on one occasion, throwing a shoe at a child and missing before grabbing the child and yelling in the child’s face.
Police said surveillance footage showed the children “displaying visible pain responses” following the incidents.
The director contacted the Department of Children and Families (DCF) and confronted Mullings on May 26 before terminating her employment. According to the affidavit, Mullings responded by saying, “My babies are gonna miss me.”
Police also noted the footage showed the abuse occurred only when no other adults were present in the room.
Mullings, who lives in Palm Bay, was arrested on Thursday. She faces five felony counts of child abuse without great bodily harm.
Mullings had been employed at the school since August 2025, but surveillance footage was only available for the final week before her termination, police said.