07/09/2026
A former teacher at a public charter school in Manatee County, Florida, was arrested after multiple elementary-aged students came forward with serious allegations about his behavior inside the school. According to the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office, the investigation into former teacher Richard Silberman began on April 4 after a student at Team Success reported concerns about an alleged interaction involving a 10-year-old student. Investigators were told that Silberman had allegedly crossed appropriate boundaries with the child and that similar incidents may have happened previously. After school officials became aware of the allegations, Team Success reportedly removed Silberman from the classroom while authorities began looking further into what happened. What initially started with one report soon developed into a much larger investigation. Over the following two weeks, investigators spoke with additional students. According to authorities, multiple children provided statements claiming Silberman had behaved inappropriately toward them as well. These additional accounts ultimately resulted in investigators pursuing several charges against the former teacher. Silberman was eventually taken into custody by the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office. He was charged with three serious offenses involving alleged inappropriate conduct with children under the age of 12, along with two additional battery charges. Following his arrest, Silberman was booked into jail. According to jail records cited in the report, he was being held without bond. The case began with concerns raised by a single student, but investigators say additional children came forward with their own allegations as the investigation progressed. School officials removed Silberman from the classroom after learning about the accusations, while law enforcement continued gathering statements from students and examining the circumstances surrounding the reported incidents.The allegations and charges described in this case come from law enforcement records and should be treated as allegations unless and until established through the court process. This is body-cam footage of the events.
