San Jose teacher, coach accused of sexual assault of student

LOS GATOS, Calif. - A "well-known" sports coach and athletic director in the South Bay has been accused of having an unlawful sexual relationship with a former student of his, according to the Los Gatos-Monte Sereno Police Department. 

Police arrested 53-year-old Darrin Garcia at Kathleen MacDonald High School in San Jose on Wednesday where he currently works as a teacher. He was arrested for sexual assault of a student. 

He has since been released out of custody as of Thursday afternoon.

What we know:

Police said the alleged actions occurred from 2021 to 2023 and that Garcia was the student's teacher and coach at Santa Clara High School.

Police said the Los Gatos man is a well-known sports coach and athletic director in Santa Clara County and has worked at multiple different schools.

According to an official with the Santa Clara Unified School District, Garcia was placed on administrative leave immediately following his arrest. 

SCUSD officials said their employees are screened with a background check before their first day of work, needing to be cleared through the Department of Justice and the FBI. It's unclear if Garcia had any charges that appeared in the background checks.

District officials said while they do not plan on "directly communicating" with students about the incident, they do want to inform parents that wellness team members are available for their children to support them.

The district is also conducting their own investigation. It's unclear if there are multiple victims. 

What you can do:

The LGMSPD is asking anyone with information about the case or similar cases to reach out to Det. Riley Frizzell with the department at (408) 827-3558 or at police@losgatosca.gov.

KTVU reached out to Santa Clara and Kathleen MacDonald High School officials but did not hear back from either at the time of this publication.