Riverside County Teacher Arrested for Inappropriate Relationship With Underage Student

Riverside County Teacher Arrested for Inappropriate Relationship With Underage Student

Jan 3, 2023

A teacher at Eastvale’s Eleanor Roosevelt High School was arrested Tuesday after an investigation into lewd acts with an underage student was conducted, the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department confirmed.

Riverside County High School Teacher Arrested for Lewd Acts With Student

• How Often Does Teacher Sexual Abuse Occur?
• What is Teacher/Educator Sexual Misconduct?
• Examples of Female Teacher Sexual Abuse Against Underage Male Students
• How Can I File a Teacher Sexual Abuse Lawsuit?
• How Long Do I Have to File a Teacher Sexual Abuse Lawsuit?
• Contact the Best Teacher Sexual Abuse and Misconduct Lawyers Today

Amanda Quinonez, a teacher and water polo/swim coach, was identified by authorities as the suspect. A letter from the principal at Eleanor Roosevelt High School was sent to parents informing them of the incident, according to a KTLA report.

The Riverside County Sheriff’s Department confirmed that their investigation found evidence that teacher Amanda Quinonez:

• Committed lewd acts with one male student
• Distributed harmful matter to that student (which included explicit photos of a sexual nature)

Quinonez was subsequently booked into the Robert Presley Detention Center on April 12, 2022, according to a Riverside County Sheriff’s Department press release.

The Sheriff’s Department indicated that the investigation into the inappropriate teacher-student relationship involving Quinonez is currently on-going.

Anyone with information related to the case is urged to contact Investigator D. Schell of the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department at 951-203-4306.

KTLA reported that Eleanor Roosevelt High School principal Dr. Greg Anderson stated that the Corona-Norco School District and the school have “zero-tolerance for behavior that endangers students.” The employment status of Quinonez following her arrest was not disclosed, KTLA further indicated.

How Often Does Teacher Sexual Abuse Occur?

Cases of teacher sexual abuse and misconduct have been rampant throughout the Southern California area in recent years. Dordulian Law Group’s (DLG) blog has featured countless stories of local educators and coaches being either arrested or convicted for sex crimes against children.

Whether involving systemic sexual misconduct like the Thacher and Cate boarding school scandals, or incidents of abuse on the part of individual teachers and coaches, some recent Los Angeles-area sexual abuse cases that have made headlines include:

• In March 2022, a Costa Mesa teacher was charged with over a dozen felonies in relation to allegedly molesting two young girls.
• In March 2022, LAPD detectives arrested Samantha Arizabal, a teacher at Ivy Bound Academy in Sherman Oaks, following reports of alleged inappropriate sexual conduct and child molestation.
• In March 2022, an Orange County piano teacher was found guilty of molesting eight students and faces 111 years in prison.
• In late February 2022, two Rialto assistant principals from Carter High School were arrested for failing to report three separate sexual assault allegations made by female students against a male teenager.
• In February 2022, Michael Traurig, a San Mateo equestrian coach for youths and adults in Los Angeles, was arrested on suspicion of molesting a 13-year-old student.
• In January 2022, a former Mater Dei High School track and football coach was sued by an ex-student who alleged she was repeatedly raped as a 16-year-old at the prestigious Catholic school.
• In November 2021, a former Riverside teacher was charged with sexually abusing a child and ex-student over 20 years ago.
• In November 2021, a Riverside man was arrested in connection with numerous sexual assaults that were allegedly committed against students at Martin Luther King High School.
• In July 2021, numerous sexual abuse allegations at the prestigious Cate School prompted an investigation by the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Department.
• In June 2021, Ojai’s Thacher School sexual abuse scandal made headlines, with reports of systemic sexual violence and potential cover-ups being investigated by local law enforcement officials. We posted a blog featuring first-hand anonymous accounts from Thacher School survivors.
• In May 2021, an Anaheim elementary school teacher was arrested on suspicion of possessing child pornography.
• In May 2021, an ex-Burbank school teacher received a 30-year sentence for child pornography of a former student.
• February 2021, a local Glendale teacher was arrested on allegations of molesting students.
• February 2021, a San Bernardino County principal was arrested on suspicion of sexually abusing a young girl.
• In July 2020, a former Orange County teacher pleaded guilty to one federal charge of production of child pornography and six state counts of lewd or lascivious acts with minors under 14 years of age.

In terms of the overall scope of the problem, a recent study issued by the U.S. Education Department confirmed that reports of sexual violence in schools rose more than 50% between the 2015 and 2016 school year. Such a dramatic increase in school sexual abuse, including crimes committed by teachers, has caused parents to be rightfully outraged.

Additionally, The Office of Justice Programs (OJP) estimates that 10% of K-12 students will experience sexual misconduct from a school employee by the time they graduate high school. A literature review of educator sexual misconduct published by the U.S. Department of Education showed that the majority of sex offenders were primarily teachers or coaches in positions allowing them to spend substantial amounts of time with individual students.

What is Teacher/Educator Sexual Misconduct?

The Psychiatric Times reports that “educator sexual misconduct” is a term used to describe “behavior by an educator that is directed at a student and intended to sexually arouse or titillate the educator or the child.” The word ‘educator’ includes classroom teachers as well as coaches, counselors, administrators, tutors, and aides.

Victims may include all students from kindergarten through 12th grade. Educator sexual misconduct entails any physical, verbal, or visual (such as showing pornography) sexual behavior between an educator and a student.

Examples of Female Teacher Sexual Abuse Against Underage Male Students

In June of 2021, we posted a blog which detailed the story of a Texas female teacher who was allegedly involved in an inappropriate sexual relationship with a 16-year-old male student. Such a case, where a female teacher sexually assaults an underage male student, is not uncommon.

The aforementioned Department of Education literature review was analyzed by researcher Charol Shakeshaft. Across seven studies, she found that while the majority of sex offenders were men, the gender actually “varied significantly” on a case-by-case basis, with up to 43% being women.

That statistic, along with the Riverside County teacher case from this week and the Texas teacher case from last year, highlights the cultural misconception that sexual predators are always men (and sexual assault survivors are always women).

Although the majority of teacher sexual abuse crimes are committed by men, a significant percentage actually involve women predators.

Here in Glendale, a 2018 case involving Jacqueline Nicole Muller, a then-206-year-old teacher, further illustrates the prevalence of female teacher on male student abuse.

Muller was arrested for having unprotected sex on multiple occasions with a 14-year-old student during a field trip to Washington D.C. She had reportedly been teaching at Glendale’s Salem Lutheran School for approximately one year, and was a chaperone on the field trip. Muller was eventually charged with first-degree child sexual abuse.

How Can I File a Teacher Sexual Abuse Lawsuit?

California childhood sexual abuse civil lawsuits may be brought in an effort to recover financial compensation for various types of losses. Depending on the circumstances of childhood sex crime, compensatory damages may be pursued and recovered through a civil claim.

Examples of damages that may be secured through a California childhood sexual assault or abuse civil claim include:

• Counseling or therapy expenses
• Emotional trauma
• Psychological distress
• Lost wages
• Lost earning capacity
• Diminished quality of life
• Pain and suffering
• Hospital or medical expenses

For a free consultation to discuss a teacher sexual abuse civil lawsuit, contact the dedicated team of attorneys at DLG today via 818-322-4056. Whether your abuse occurred weeks or decades ago, we will fight to help you obtain the justice you deserve.

DLG is a leading California-based sexual abuse firm representing survivors across the United States and offering a unique type of legal representation which includes a four-tiered team of professionals known as the SAJE Team.

How Long Do I Have to File a Teacher Sexual Abuse Lawsuit?

The California statute of limitations for childhood sexual abuse crimes is temporarily paused under Assembly Bill 218 (AB 218), which took effect on January 1, 2020.

AB 218 currently allows all survivors of childhood sexual abuse or assault to file civil claims/lawsuits seeking financial compensation until December 31, 2022. However, as of January 1, 2023, the standard statute of limitations will resume, and survivors who did not file claims will likely be left without any legal recourse.

For additional information on California AB 218 and how it offers survivors of childhood sexual abuse an unprecedented opportunity at justice, please visit our recent blog post.

Contact the Best Teacher Sexual Abuse and Misconduct Lawyers Today

Led by Sam Dordulian, a former sex crimes prosecutor and Deputy District Attorney for Los Angeles County, DLG’s experienced childhood sexual abuse lawyers have helped countless survivors secure maximum financial damages awards.

If you experienced a sexual assault incident, don’t wait to file a claim. Contact our expert attorneys online or by phone for a free consultation today.

Some of our recent sex crime civil lawsuit victories include:

• An undisclosed multi-million dollar settlement for a rideshare rape survivor
• A $675,000 settlement secured under AB 218 for a client who wished to remain anonymous
• An undisclosed multi-million dollar settlement for a rape survivor who met a man on a ‘Sugar Daddy’ website
• An undisclosed maximum damages award for minimal contact under the eggshell plaintiff rule
• A $300,000 trial verdict for a local businesswoman against a prominent venture capitalist

For a free and confidential consultation regarding your childhood sexual assault or teacher sexual abuse civil claim, contact a member of DLG’s SAJE Team today at 818-322-4056. Our Sex Crime Division attorneys have helped victims recover more than $100,000,000 in settlements and verdicts while maintaining a 98% success record.