‘Teacher of the Year’ sobs in court as she confesses to abusing two students

February 9, 2025 Sharon Banks

In a turn of events, an award-winning California teacher sobbed in court as she confessed to sexually abusing two of her students, ages 11 and 12.

Jacqueline Ma, honored as San Diego County’s “Teacher of the Year,” originally faced a potential 180-year prison sentence for the shocking abuse at Lincoln Acres Elementary School in National City.

However, that sentence was reduced on Wednesday when she accepted a plea deal, admitting to committing lewd acts with her students. Under the agreement, she now faces a possible sentence of 30 years to life.

Through tears, Ma responded to the judge’s question with a single word: “Guilty,” as captured in footage from Fox 5 San Diego.

That’s not all; Ma also pleaded guilty to a count of possessing material containing a minor engaged in or simulating sexual conduct for sending the boys X-rated images and begging them to send her photos of them engaged in sex acts.

Deputy District Attorney Drew Heart told reporters that “this was very significant to us, not just because she won an award, but because of who she was in the community.”

“We think this plea deal sends a message to the community, not just about sex offenses on children, but when you leverage a position of trust, when you leverage good faith with parents in the community, and you do this to their children, there will be significant penalties to pay,” Heart added.

The incident came to light in the spring of 2023 when the mother of 12-year-old victim alerted the authorities after discovering that Ma, who taught fifth and sixth graders, had groomed the boy for over 10 months. She was arrested on her school campus. The mother also found love letters and explicit texts the trusted teacher had sent her son.

Authorities found that Ma sent the victim multiple racy photographs of herself and equally asked him to take and send her videos of himself engaging in sex acts. Investigators discovered that Ma often grew frustrated when the boy didn’t respond.

“Sometimes I think you don’t understand that I am a kid still,” the child reminded his teacher in one text. However, her pursuit of the child grew, even resulting in inappropriate behavior within the school premises.

In one instance, she took off her shirt after asking the 12-year-old victim for a private meeting in her classroom, according to prosecutors.

She didn’t stop at one victim; Ma also had another illicit relationship with a current student at the time, an 11-year-old boy, and exchanged sexually charged messages with him, authorities found.

After Ma was taken into custody, authorities discovered a picture of one of the victims in her wallet.

In 2023, at the conclusion of a preliminary hearing, Superior Court Judge Maryann D’Addezio said she thought the evidence was “overwhelmingly clear that the defendant took advantage of two children.”

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Deputy District Attorney Heart said Wednesday that “from our office’s perspective, it was very important that these be charged as not just sex offenses, but sex offenses done under duress, and that’s what she pled to.”

Ma, who faces the possibility of 30 years to life in prison, will be sentenced on May 9.