An elementary school teacher who was previously named “teacher of the year” was arrested and accused of sexually abusing a child, according to California officials.

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Jacqueline Ma, an elementary school teacher in the National City School District, faces three counts of lewd or lascivious acts with a child under 14 and three counts of “oral copulation with a child under 14,” according to the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department.

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The 34-year-old teacher was booked into the Las Colinas Detention and Reentry Facility just after 3 p.m. on March 7, the sheriff’s department said. She is being held on $100,000 bail.

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National City School District Superintendent Leighangela Brady said in a statement that officers came to the campus of Lincoln Acres Elementary School, where Ma worked, and arrested a teacher. The teacher was accused of having an “inappropriate relationship with a former student,” the statement says.

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“We know that our entire school community is as stunned as we were by this news,” the statement says.

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Brady said in the statement that the student no longer attends school in the district and that district officials are not aware of any other victims.

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The sheriff’s department directed questions about the investigation to the National City Police Department. The department did not immediately respond to a request for information from McClatchy News on March 8.

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Ma was named a “teacher of the year” in August, according to the San Diego County Office of Education. She had taught fifth and sixth grade in the district since 2013, according to the San Diego Union-Tribune.

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Ma was especially recognized for helping her students adapt as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the outlet.

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National City is about 5 miles southeast of downtown San Diego. Lincoln Acres Elementary serves grades kindergarten through six and enrolls 533 students, according to U.S. News and World Report.

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