The “Teacher of the Year” arrested for allegedly whipping her 12-year-old son with a belt was described as a “well-respected” educator, who behind closed doors surrendered to “sickening” behaviors, a disturbing contrast to her public image.
Once celebrated for her devotion to students and the classroom, 44-year-old Randi Nicole Staples – who goes by Nicole – is now at the center of a shocking criminal investigation after a viral video surfaced allegedly showing her beating her 12-year-old son more than 20 times with a belt.
Staples, who taught second grade at Cottage Hill Christian Academy (CHCA) in Mobile, Alabama, had been honored as the school’s Teacher of the Year in May 2025.
Her professional reputation, once bolstered by praise from parents and fellow educators, has now crumbled under the weight of disturbing footage shared widely on social media.
Vicious beating
In the clip, the boy is seen cowering on the floor, his arms draped over the armrest of the couch while Staples stands over him, shouting, “You won’t clean up after yourself, because you don’t do what you’re supposed to do.”
Then, she repeatedly strikes him with what appears to be a belt, as he screams out in pain.
The incident escalates when the woman – who’s still cursing loudly – clutches the child’s hair and drops him to the ground before forcing him into a standing position.
Failed to do chores
The video was first posted online by Staples’ 24-year-old son, Jackson Staples, who no longer lives in the family home. He told Fox 10 he received the footage from a younger sibling who had been present during the incident.
Jackson explained that the altercation allegedly began when his younger brother failed to do his chores: “Something about he wasn’t cleaning the kitchen like he was supposed to [do], he left, went to the neighbor’s house, come back and then it transpired into that,” he told the outlet.
Jackson felt compelled to act and shared the video online.
‘Done it to me my whole life’
“I didn’t feel like, you know, she should be working at the school or even doing that to my little brothers. You know, she done it to me my whole life, so I’m 24,” Jackson said in his interview with Fox 10.
“Everybody seen the video now, but that’s the video I got yesterday of my little brother. So, I decided I was going to go to the school,” Jackson told the outlet, explaining that on Nov. 19, he called the attention of CHCA.
The school immediately contacted authorities, and then she was fired.
‘Repulsive’
Mobile County authorities were swift to respond and immediately arrested the teacher.
“To snatch him up by his hair and you know yell and curse the way that she did, working for a Christian school, I thought was repulsive,” Mobile County Sheriff Paul Burch told Fox 10.
The footage, police say, reportedly depicts more than just discipline – it presents what law enforcement has described as a clear case of abuse.
“This was abuse and an assault, far beyond discipline. I think we counted around 20 something strikes and then grabbing the child by the hair and striking, I think the last time it was across his arms,” Burch said, according to WKRG.
“Based on the fact that someone within the home, which we didn’t know who it was at that time, felt the need to video that told me that that wasn’t the first time that happened,” he said.
‘Dual personality’
Speaking of her “Teacher of the Year” title, Burch told WPMI Media that the clip shows her as duplicitous.
“It’s almost like a dual personality,” he said. “Because by all accounts, I’m told she is a good teacher and well respected. And yet what happens in the home is clearly opposite of that.”
“And it was sickening to see somebody that could, you know, repeatedly strike their child,” the sheriff added.
Kids are safe
The children – the victim, his twin brother and an 18-year-old who lived in the home with Staples – are now with a relative and are “safe.”
“Our first priority is making sure they get the care and services that they need, you know, to get past this,” Burch stated. “They’re at a safe place right now, and that’s what we care about. We want to make sure they get the services that are offered and provided. Get them back on, back in a better position in life.”
‘More charges coming’
The sheriff reaffirmed his stance against any form of abuse. “Bottom line is that that will never be tolerated. And, you know, abuse is abuse. And, you know, hopefully she will feel the full force of the law when she faces a judge,” Burch said, adding “there are probably more charges coming in the future.”
Staples, charged with willful abuse of a child under the age of 18, entered a plea of not guilty. She posted a $7,500 bond and has since been released.
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