Teacher of the year is accused of having sex with a 16-year-old student in Southern California: the third such case at the same school in less than 10 years
- A California Yucaipa High School teacher, Tracy Vanderhulst, 38, was arrested over allegations of sexual activity with a student
- Vanderhulst was taken into custody and held in the San Bernardino County Detention Center on $30,000 bond
- Vanderhulst, married with two children, was honored as the school’s ‘teacher of the year’ in 2017
A California teacher has been arrested after being accused of having sex with a student.
Tracy Vanderhulst, 38, who taught at Yucaipa High School was arrested Thursday and taken to the San Bernardino County Detention Center.
Vanderhulst faces charges of having sex with a 16-year-old student.
She is accused of having had illegal sexual relations with a minor. His bail was set at $30,000.
Vanderhulst, who was named the school’s “Teacher of the Year” in 2017, married in 2007 and has two children with her husband, Justin.
A California Yucaipa High School teacher, Tracy Vanderhulst, 38, was arrested over allegations of sexual activity with a student
A school YouTube video featuring Vanderhulst titled ‘In The Classroom’ is still online where she can be seen teaching a specialist maths lesson to most first-year students
Vanderhulst was a teacher at Yucaipa High School, taken into custody and held in the San Bernardino County Detention Center on $30,000 bond.
A YouTube video from the school featuring Vanderhulst titled “In The Classroom” is still online, where she can be seen teaching a specialized math class to most of the freshmen.
In a now-deleted tweet, the school said it “provides a rigorous math curriculum and deep care for its students.”
After receiving her award in 2017, Vanderhulst received her mention with much praise.
“She embodies the educator that so many people desire to be – she is the kind and innovative teacher that we hope our children will grow from; the educator who strives to engage all of her students, from her intervention classes to her specialization classes,” the school principal wrote.
Authorities say the Yucaipa Calimesa Unified School District was cooperative during the investigation.
Vanderhulst was married with two children had been honored as ‘teacher of the year’ in 2017
Detectives are investigating the possibility that there are also other victims in the case and have released his photo in the hope that others will come forward. Yucaipa High School is represented
The Yucaipa Calimesa Unified School District released an official statement on Friday.
“The safety and well-being of our students is our top priority and we take these allegations very seriously.
“Prompt action must be taken against the offending parties, as well as anyone else aware of the allegations who may have failed to act. We want to assure you that should the District receive any future allegations in this regard against any of its employees or anyone affiliated with it, these allegations will be promptly reported to law enforcement, as all District personnel are mandatory reporters.
Detectives are investigating the possibility that there are also other victims in the case and have released his photo in the hope that others will come forward.
This is the third time in less than ten years that a teacher at Yucaipa High School has had sex with a student.
In one case, in 2015, a teacher had a sexual affair with a student who was dating her daughter.
Yucaipa, located 10 miles east of San Bernardino in San Bernardino County, California, is a deeply conservative town.
Anyone with advice is asked to contact Detective Rachel Young of the Specialized Investigations Division, Crimes Against Children, detail at (909) 890-4904.
Callers wishing to remain anonymous can call the We-Tip Helpline at 1-800-78-CRIME (27463).
