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NATIONAL CITY, Calif. — Parents at Lincoln Acres Elementary School in National City are stunned after learning one of their most honored sixth-grade teachers, Jacqueline Ma, was arrested, suspected of inappropriate conduct with a child.
Investigators have not detailed when the alleged abuse happened, but according to the National City Police Department, it launched an investigation after a parent reported concerns that their 13-year-old child possibly had an inappropriate relationship with a former teacher.
In an email and text message to parents, the National School District, made them aware that 34-year-old Ma was taken into custody Tuesday morning on campus, away from students, after police say they found enough evidence to book her into jail on six felony counts, including lewd and lascivious acts and oral copulation with a child under 14.
The superintendent released a statement that reads in part: “At this time, we have immediate plans to secure a substitute to ensure minimal disruption to students’ learning. We know that our entire school community will be as stunned as we were by this news.”
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According to the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department, Ma posted bail Tuesday night and was released from Las Colinas Detention Facility. Several neighbors FOX 5 spoke to confirmed where she lives with her husband and their golden retriever and they said, until Tuesday, there was a sign out front, showcasing her award as one of San Diego County’s Teachers of the Year.
Sonia Gutierrez, whose son attends third grade, told FOX 5 Ma has been a teacher at Lincoln Acres since 2013.
“I just hope it doesn’t repeat itself or there’s no more children because if there was that one, there could be more,” she said. “We don’t know. They might be scared to tell.”
National City police ask anyone with information to come forward. Ma will be in court of arraignment Tuesday, March 14.
