California Teacher of the Year Gets 30 Years for Abusing Students

In a heartbreaking betrayal of trust, Jacqueline Ma, a 36-year-old former California Teacher of the Year, was sentenced to 30 years in prison on Friday for sexually abusing two sixth-grade students. The once-celebrated educator at Lincoln Acres Elementary School in National City pleaded guilty to multiple counts of lewd acts on children and possession of child sexual abuse material, leaving a community reeling and victims grappling with lifelong scars.

Ma’s crimes, described as despicable by San Diego County District Attorney Summer Stephan, involved grooming young boys with gifts, food, and undue attention, even completing their homework to gain their trust. One victim, a 12-year-old boy, was assaulted in Ma’s classroom over three months, under the guise of an after-school basketball program. A second victim, an 11-year-old boy, was targeted in 2020, prosecutors revealed.

In court, a tearful Ma admitted to abusing her authority, saying, "I ripped away their childhood." She apologized to the victims’ families, acknowledging the disgrace she brought to the teaching profession. Yet, her words offered little solace to those affected by her calculated deception, facilitated through unsanctioned school programs and chat applications.

Justice, though served, cannot undo the damage, Stephan noted, emphasizing the 30-year sentence’s appropriateness for the trauma inflicted. Ma must serve the full term before parole eligibility, a small measure of accountability for a breach of trust that shattered lives.