Danielle Harkins, 35, allegedly told teenagers they had evil spirits in their bodies, and she wanted to get them out.
Harkins was able persuade two former students to follow through with a ritual ceremony.
Harkins was charged with aggravated battery and child abuse and was being held at the Pinellas County Jail on $55,000 bail.
Harkins met and tutored the students while serving as a literacy mentor at the Lealman and Asian Learning Center in St. Petersburg.
Investigators said Harkins was at The Pier on Saturday with seven former students when she told a 16- and 17-year-old to take part in a ritual based on her religious beliefs.
