Former 'Teacher Of The Year' Sentenced For Sexually Abusing Students

SAN DIEGO, CA — A former San Diego County Teacher of the Year was sentenced last week to 30 years to life in prison for sexually abusing two students.

Jaqueline Ma, 36, who taught at Lincoln Acres Elementary School in National City, pleaded guilty in February to two counts of forcible lewd act on a child, one count of lewd act on a child, and one count of possessing child sexual abuse material.

She was arrested in March 2023 after the mother of one of the victims found inappropriate messages between her son and Ma on a family tablet. Investigators discovered Ma had groomed the boy for more than a year before she sexually assaulted him when he was 12 years old, according to the San Diego County District Attorney's Office. The sexual abuse happened in her classroom while the boy's parents believed their son was participating in an after-school basketball program.

Investigators also learned that Ma had groomed and sexually assaulted an 11-year-old boy in 2020.

"This defendant violated the trust she had with her students in the most extreme and traumatic way possible and her actions are despicable," San Diego County District Attorney Summer Stephan said in a statement.

"Her victims will have to deal with a lifetime of negative effects and her 30-year sentence is appropriate," Stephan said. "No child deserves what this defendant did and I hope this sentence brings a measure of justice to the victims, their families and the community that was left reeling from this defendant's crimes."