Yuma Union High School District
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:
Published – February 20, 2024
A former teacher in the Yuma Union High School District (YUHSD) was arrested for multiple counts of sexual exploitation of a minor student.
On January 13, 2024, KYMA News said, “25-year-old Ivan Martinez was formally charged with 10 felonies including:
- Six counts of sexual exploitation of a minor
- One count of luring a minor for sexual exploitation
- One count of aggravated luring a minor for sexual exploitation
- Two counts of attempted sexual contact with a minor.”
KYMA said the incident allegedly occurred between October and December 2023 and involved a female student at San Luis High School (SLHS).
One of Martinez’s former college classmates told News 11 Yuma that Martinez exhibited “suspicious behavior” before becoming a teacher and that she “saw this coming” after he shared images of a 16-year-old SLHS student. The source did not confirm whether the photo was of Martinez’s victim.
The News 11 report also reiterated that Martinez was charged with “10 felonies, including six counts of sexual exploitation of a minor.”
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The district also started its spring term by deploying safety strategies after one school received a threat of violence and a school bus accident injured three students.
On January 29, 2024, 12News reported, “Three juveniles were taken to the hospital after their school bus was involved in a traffic collision…The [YUHSD] bus was making a right turn onto County 12 ½ Street when it was involved in a crash with a Dodge Durango attempting to make a left turn onto Avenue B…Only minor injuries were reported among the parties involved.”
The source said alcohol did not initially appear to be involved and that investigations into the crash were ongoing.
In an unrelated incident on January 30, KYMA News said, “Kofa High School and [YUHSD] entered a shelter-in-place, and Vista High School went into a lockdown due to a verbal threat made over the phone … The lockdown was lifted less than 30 minutes after it was put in place.”
KYMA continued, “No word yet on who made the call and if there will be any charges pending for the false threat. The Yuma Police Department would like to remind people that fake threats or phone calls are still serious violations of the law.”
Yuma PD concluded that the threat against Vista High School was not credible. Parents were notified of the incident once more information became available.
YUHSD’s Gila Ridge High School (GRHS) experienced multiple incidents in 2023.
On February 1, KGUN 9 News said students went into lockdown after shots were fired in the school parking lot. Students were safe, and law enforcement “were able to find and arrest the individual they identified as the suspected shooter.”
In September, two violent threats were made against GRHS in the same week.
According to KYMA News, “In a press release, the first report of a possible school threat occurred on Tuesday [September 19, 2023], at around 1:30 pm. [Yuma PD said] they received reports about [the] threat being made from a social media account.”
KYMA stated that Yuma PD also responded to another incident involving GRHS on Friday [September 22]. This threat was also posted on social media. The report said someone posted a distorted picture of a school band member with the caption “first to go.”
Yuma PD and YUHSD found both situations to be not credible. However, Yuma PD encourages anyone with information to contact the police department at 928-783-4421 or 78-CRIME to remain anonymous.
A US News report shows YUHSD students testing at a 15% math proficiency rate and 11% reading proficiency rate, placing it among some of the lowest-performing high school districts in the state of Arizona.
Please send updates on Yuma Union High School District to [email protected].
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Yuma Union High School District educates more than 11,000 students.
