A former teacher in Massachusetts was arrested after he allegedly sexually abused a 14-year-old student during the 2022-2023 school year.
The Essex District Attorney’s Office announced on Wednesday, July 22, that Tymond Tran was arraigned amid accusations that he raped a student while teaching eighth grade at Thurgood Marshall Middle School in Lynn, according to CBS Boston.
The District Attorney’s Office office also announced that Tran, 38, was indicted by a grand jury on charges of aggravated rape of a child with a 10-year age difference, indecent assault and battery on a person 14 or over, posing or exhibiting a child in the nude and providing obscene matter to a minor.
Police have not revealed the exact allegations or any details regarding Tran’s relationship with the victim.
Tran attended his arraignment hearing Wednesday in Essex County Superior Court in Salem, in which he pleaded not guilty. He has since been released into 24/7 house arrest with a GPS monitoring device.
He is next scheduled to return to court on August 26.
Tran was an award-winning teacher, and he was among the 10 teachers in the United States to receive the Amazon Future Engineer Teacher of the Year award in 2022. As part of the honor, he also won $5,000.
He continued to teach at the middle school until 2024, and he reportedly left by choice.
Tran most recently worked as a technology teacher at Lowell Community Charter Public School in Lowell. However, he was suspended and then terminated by the school on the same day school officials learned of the allegations made against him.
“Mr. Tran’s employment with the school was immediately terminated last month after the DA’s Office informed us of the details of the criminal charges,” Lowell Community Charter Public School said in a statement to The Lowell Sun. “Like all employees, this individual underwent all required state and federal criminal background checks prior to employment.”
The statement continued, “Because the charges were not filed until June 2026, those required background checks did not identify any criminal charges or convictions at the time of hire.”
Meanwhile, the mayor and superintendent are conducting an independent investigation.
After Tran attended his arraignment hearing, Lynn Mayor Jared Nicholson and Superintendent of Schools Molly Cohen issued a statement saying they were “shocked and disturbed” by the allegations against him.
“Our primary concern is for the well-being of the former LPS student. Our hope for that student is healing and justice,” the statement said.
They went on to say that they “recognize that this news will be deeply upsetting for students, families, staff, and the broader school community, and we will be making support available as needed.”
“We will continue to fully cooperate with law enforcement and are also conducting our own independent investigation,” the statement concluded.
Parents, teachers, and guardians interested in learning more about protecting children from exploitation can find useful tools and information at Know2Protect.
