Miami-Dade teacher accused of showing pornography to elementary school students

A Miami-Dade County elementary teacher was arrested last week following a months-long investigation into accusations he showed female students pornographic videos and images and inappropriately touched the girls, according to his arrest report.

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The Miami-Dade Schools Police Department began investigating Cesar Cardoso, 53, in April. A girl told officers Cardoso would remove her from physical education class and lunch along with another girl and take them to his classroom where he would show them the videos and photos, including a naked photo of himself, according to his arrest report.

A Miami-Dade Public Schools spokesperson said the district removed Cardoso from his Sunset Park Elementary classroom the day after the girl reported the behavior, and he was fired in May.

“Behavior of this nature will not be tolerated under any circumstances. Although he is no longer employed by M-DCPS, he is permanently precluded from seeking or obtaining future employment with the district,” Carlos Sarmiento, executive director of external communications for the district, said in a statement.

One of the five students interviewed by police said Cardoso began to touch her when she was nearing the end of third grade, according to the report. The inappropriate touching included slapping her on the buttocks and touching her hair and thighs, the report states.

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Another student at the Kendall area school said Cardoso showed her a video depicting a boy between 12 and 14 having sex with a woman. He is also accused of asking girls if they wanted to kiss him, the report states.

Police arrested Cardoso Friday. He declined to speak with detectives when they brought him to the schools police headquarters in Miami. He was booked into Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center on charges of offenses against students by authority figures, distributing obscene material to minors and lewd and lascivious conduct on a child under 16 years old.

A judge Monday ordered him held without bond until trial. Cardoso’s docket did not contain information about his legal representation.

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