NATIONAL CITY, Calif. – A sixth grade teacher in California is accused of engaging in an inappropriate relationship with a former student and has been charged with six counts of sexual abuse of a minor as a result of the interaction, according to reports.
Lincoln Acres Elementary School in National City, a suburb of San Diego, was the site Tuesday morning where teacher Jacqueline Ma, 34, was taken into custody. Police said in a statement that “both law enforcement and our site staff collaborated to ensure that student learning and the campus climate were not interrupted.”
Following her arrest, Ma was transported to Las Colinas Detention and Reentry Facility, where she is currently being held on $100,000 bond, according to the Daily Mail.
Ma is facing three counts of lewd and lascivious acts with a child under fourteen, and three counts of oral copulation with a child under fourteen. The crimes involve one victim.
The National City Police Department launched the investigation after a parent reported concerns on Monday that her 13-year-old child possibly had an inappropriate relationship with a former teacher, NBC San Diego reported.
However, no further details were immediately available.
Ma taught sixth grade at Lincoln Acres Elementary School in National City, just south of San Diego.
“We know that our entire school community is as stunned as we were by this news,” District Superintendent Leighangela Brady said in a statement. “The district will cooperate with law enforcement and cannot comment any further on the pending investigation. We will continue to do everything possible to keep our students’ safety, needs, and education first and foremost.”
According to the Post Millennial, Ma was voted one of San Diego County’s five “teachers of the year” in 2022. San Diego County schools superintendent Dr. Paul Gothold referred to the recipients as “innovative in what they do and passionate about the students they serve.”
Ma’s biography says that she “considers the relationships she maintains with her students her greatest accomplishments.”
She is scheduled to make a court appearance on Thursday.
