Mother of student targeted by inappropriate messages from Manatee teacher claims the system let her down

Beverly Hernandez voices her disappointment regarding the handling of her son’s situation at Haile Middle School. “Not only was I disappointed that a teacher who was supposed to protect my child was grooming him, but I’m also deeply upset that they branded him a liar,” she stated.

“By him thinking he was doing the right thing and coming forward, they retaliated against him.”

The teacher in question, 28-year-old Oliver Fell, turned herself into authorities on June 2 after a warrant was issued. She faces charges of lewd contact with a student by an authority figure, a second-degree felony, as well as the transmission of harmful material to a minor, a third-degree felony.

Detectives report that Fell allegedly initiated casual conversations on social media with the student in December 2024, which later escalated to sending sexually suggestive images and messages.

A probable cause affidavit obtained by ABC7 reveals that school officials informed Deputy Sadrac Augustin, the school resource officer, that Hernandez’s son faced disciplinary action for making accusations against Fell. A screenshot from another student’s phone purportedly showcased a Snapchat conversation between Hernandez’s son and someone using the username “Oliver” along with a purple cat emoji.

Hernandez’s son identified his teacher, Oliver Fell, as the person behind the account.

When questioned, Augustin reported that Fell denied ownership of the social media account and the allegations that she sent any images. The affidavit states that Fell contested that a semi-nude photo found on the student’s phone was hers but admitted that two other clothed photos were available on her public Instagram page.

Hernandez discovered the disturbing text messages on March 3, when she was called to the school regarding her son’s disciplinary issues.

Despite the serious allegations, Fell continued teaching until she was reassigned on May 14.

In a letter to parents following Fell’s arrest, Principal Irene Nikitopoulos explained the circumstances: “It took several weeks of investigation to validate the claims of illegal communications. Once law enforcement confirmed the situation, our school and district were notified, and Ms. Fell was promptly reassigned to a position away from our school where she had no contact with students.”

Concerns were raised about the delay in action, with Chad Choate, the chair of the Manatee County School Board, noting to ABC7, “From a policy standpoint, she should have been placed on paid leave while the investigation was ongoing. Everyone deserves due process, but that was not the case here.”

Beverly Hernandez claims she was the one to alert state Child Protective Services about the case, as neither the school nor the school resource officer took action initially upon discovering the allegations.

Read the two probable case affidavits against Fell below: