A California elementary school teacher who was named one of San Diego’s top five teachers of the year in 2022 has been arrested and charged with sexually abusing a student under the age of 14.
Jacqueline Ma, a 34-year-old sixth-grade teacher at Lincoln Acres Elementary School in San Diego, was charged with six counts of sexual misconduct, including three counts of oral copulation and three counts of lewd and lascivious acts with a child under 14.
According to her LinkedIn page, she had been working at the school since 2013.
The San Diego Sherriff’s Department has confirmed that there was only one known victim of Ma’s alleged abuse, and that the victim no longer attends the school where she taught.
It remains unclear how the abuse came to light.
Ma was arrested out of view of students at 8 am on Tuesday and sent to the Las Colinas Detention and Reentry Facility after her arrest, where she was booked on $100,000 bond.
She is due in court on March 9.
School district Superintendent Leighangela Brady confirmed the arrest and stated that the district will cooperate with law enforcement, but cannot comment any further on the pending investigation.
Brady also confirmed that the school is hiring a substitute teacher to replace Ma.
The district assures that it will do everything possible to keep students’ safety, needs, and education first and foremost.
When Ma was named a 2022 Teacher of the Year, an award profile for her stated that she considers the relationships she maintains with her students to be her greatest accomplishments.