California 'teacher of the year' sobs as she admits to sex crimes with students

A erstwhile California 'Teacher of the Year' sobbed successful tribunal arsenic she admitted to sexually abusing her students. 

Jacqueline Ma, 35, has been successful custody since she was first arrested astatine Lincoln Acres Elementary successful San Diego backmost successful 2023. 

Prosecutors claimed that she had engaged successful intersexual relationships with 2 students, who were 11 and 12 years aged astatine the time.

Two months earlier her proceedings was owed to instrumentality place, Ma changed her plea to blameworthy connected 2 counts of lewd acts with a kid nether the property of 14 with duress connected Tuesday.

She besides admitted to a lewd enactment involving the 2nd kid and different number of possessing worldly containing a insignificant engaged successful oregon simulating intersexual conduct. 

A baggy-eyed Ma sobbed heavy alongside her attorney, letting retired a debased 'guilty' arsenic the charges were work out. 

In 2022, the erstwhile sixth-grade teacher astatine Lincoln Acres Elementary was 1 of 5 educators named Teacher of the Year successful San Diego County. 

Just 7 months aft receiving the award, she was arrested aft the genitor of the 12-year-old reached retired to constabulary to study a suspected inappropriate relationship.  

Ma is said to person had a months-long narration with the lad and sent him explicit pictures of her asking him to bash the aforesaid back. 

The San Diego Tribune reported that during a proceeding successful December 2023, detectives work aloud messages betwixt the two, successful which Ma professed her emotion for the boy.

The outlet reported that the kid besides wrote: 'Sometimes I deliberation you don’t recognize that I americium a kid inactive and this is my lone existent relationship.' 

As detectives continued to analyse Ma, they discovered a 2nd unfortunate successful the case. 

Authorities had said that Ma utilized her presumption to coerce the 2 into behaviour that 'was beyond inappropriate, beyond wrong'. 

Speaking aft the proceeding connected Tuesday, lawman territory lawyer Drew Hart said: 'Obviously she’s taken work and not gone to trial. 

'The consequences of proceedings would person been much significant. With this resolution, we’re sparing the victims from having to travel successful and attest successful beforehand of a jury.

'From our office’s perspective, it was precise important that these beryllium charged arsenic not conscionable enactment offenses, but enactment offenses done nether duress and that’s what she plead to.

'This was precise important to us, not conscionable due to the fact that she won an award, but due to the fact that of who she was successful the community.

'We deliberation this plea woody sends a connection to the community, not conscionable astir enactment offenses connected children, but erstwhile you leverage a presumption of trust, erstwhile you leverage bully religion with parents successful the assemblage and you bash this to their children, determination volition beryllium important penalties to pay.'

As portion of her agreement, the remainder of the charges were dismissed by the DA's office. 

Ma is owed backmost successful tribunal connected May 9 and is expected to beryllium sentenced to 30 years to beingness down bars, according to Fox5. 

A blurb astir her grant reads: 'She considers the relationships she maintains with her students her top accomplishments.

'She has spearheaded a schoolwide STEM betterment plan, bringing successful extracurricular organizations, including the Salk Institute, Scripps Institute of Oceanography, the Fleet Science Center and the San Diego Zoo, and providing opportunities for students to interact with professionals doing the enactment to amended visualize a way to a rewarding STEM career.'

Lincoln Acres Elementary School Principal Kathy Melanese said successful the blurb: 'I can't ideate a much qualified and passionate pedagogue to person this honor.

'The creativity, initiative, collaboration, and 100 percent dedication Ms. Ma has for her students and the schoolhouse is immeasurable. When students permission Ms. Ma's room, they are much assured students, much engaged citizens and much thoughtful adolescents who cognize they are loved.'