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Manatee County mothers on a mission to protect students as investigations into 2 teachers continues

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Published  June 17, 2025 6:17pm EDT
Manatee County
FOX 13 News
Parents respond after investigation into teachers

Parents respond after investigation into teachers

FOX 13's Kimberly Kuizon shares the calls for action after the kids of these two parents received inappropriate messages from teachers.

The Brief

    • Two mothers are on a mission to protect Manatee County students after a middle school teacher allegedly sent a nude Snapchat photo to a student and an elementary school teacher could face charges of cyberstalking related to harassment.
    • The mothers want others to come forward with information on their cases or if others were victimized.
    • The Manatee County School District said one teacher was fired and the other resigned.

BRADENTON, Fla. - Two mothers are on a mission to protect Manatee County students after they say their children were victimized by teachers. 

"I’m here to raise my voice and standup for them," said Beverly Hernandez. 

The backstory:

Oliver Fell, a former Exceptional Student Education Teacher at Haile Middle School, was arrested by Manatee County deputies for allegedly sending a nude Snapchat photo and vulgar messages to Beverly Hernandez’s 14-year-old son. 

Oliver Fell mugshot courtesy of the Manatee County Sheriff's Office.

Oliver Fell mugshot courtesy of the Manatee County Sheriff's Office. 

"I think he’s confused, and he can’t grasp the severity of the situation right now," said Hernandez. 

At B.D Gullett Elementary School, a mother who declined to give her name says her daughter received an inappropriate letter from her teacher. 

The letter read, "I truly love you" and ended with "I’ll keep our notes between us and won’t show your friends. So you do the same." 

Courtesy: Mallard Perez Personal Injury Trial Attorneys

"This is a situation that has just been a nightmare. Our daughter it will be a long healing process," said the mother. 

Dig deeper:

Both families are asking for students with information or similar situations to come forward. 

"We are still looking into the details of what happened, where the failures were because clearly there were failures," explained Alan Perez. 

The families are now working with Mallard Perez Personal Injury Trial Attorneys out of Sarasota. 

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"We are trying to make sure people can drop their kids off at school and they’re going to come home, not having been a victim of something like this. They are there to learn reading, writing and arithmetic they’re not there to have social media, bullying with their teachers," said Damian Mallard. 

"Not only do I feel like I’m fighting for my son. I’m fighting for every child who has been silenced. This should always be reported," said Hernandez. 

The other side:

Manatee County School Board Chair, Chad Choate said changes will be coming next year. 

"I don’t think this is a systemic issue at all. I think this was a couple of bad actors who was making the rest of the field look bad. I do think it is a policy and procedure issue," said Choate. 

The Manatee County School District said both teachers have been reported to the Florida Department of Education. 

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They told FOX 13 the State Attorney’s Office continues to review matters involving the two teachers. In addition, the district continues to fully cooperate with the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office regarding investigations of the two teachers accused of unlawful and egregious communications with students during the 2024-2025 school year. 

The district said both teachers were reassigned to positions away from their schools where they had no contact with students for the remainder of their time with the district. 

The district added that Gullett fifth-grade teacher Jarrett Williams resigned while under investigation by the district’s Office of Professional Standards. 

The School Board also voted unanimously to terminate Fell.

What's next:

Mallard Perez Personal Injury Trial Attorneys has filed a notice of intent to take legal action against the Manatee County School Board. 

The Manatee County Sheriff’s Office said a capias for cyberstalking related to harassment was sent to the State Attorney’s Office on May 20, 2025. 

The State Attorney’s Office is currently reviewing the case in regards to the B.D Gullett former teacher. 

The Source: Information was gathered by Fox 13’s Kimberly Kuizon through the Manatee Co. Sheriff’s Office, the Manatee Co. School District and through the student’s families.

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