Who Is Makana Masacayan? Española Valley High Arrest

Makana Mei Masacayan is a former special-education teacher at Española Valley High School in Española, New Mexico. Masacayan, who was 26 when she was arrested in June 2022, was accused of sexually abusing a 16-year-old male student. She was initially charged with criminal sexual penetration of a minor, criminal sexual contact of a minor, contributing to the delinquency of a minor and enticement of a child. Masacayan later pleaded no contest to three charges under a plea agreement and was sentenced to three years of supervised probation.

Makana Masacayan Abuse Allegations

Masacayan Accused Of Having Sexual Relationship With 16-Year-Old Student. New Mexico State Police began investigating after the teenager told his juvenile probation officer that he possessed evidence on his cellphone showing he had engaged in a sexual relationship with Masacayan. The boy subsequently participated in a forensic interview and said he and Masacayan had sex at least once. [Santa Fe New Mexican]

Police Seized Student’s Phone And Said Data Supported His Allegations. A state police officer seized the teenager’s cellphone as part of the investigation. Court records later said investigators extracted data from the device that corroborated the sexual interactions the student had described to authorities. [Santa Fe New Mexican]

Student Accused Masacayan Of Making Sexual Advances At School. According to the criminal complaint, the teenager alleged Masacayan made advances toward him on multiple occasions. He accused her of engaging in sexual touching while they were at school before the alleged relationship progressed further. [Santa Fe New Mexican]

Student Alleged Masacayan Gave Him A Lap Dance Inside Classroom Closet. The teenager told investigators that one encounter occurred when Masacayan allegedly gave him a lap dance while he was sitting in a chair inside a classroom closet. He also accused her of touching him sexually during interactions at the school. [Santa Fe New Mexican]

Masacayan And Student Allegedly Communicated Through Social Media. The investigation examined electronic communications between Masacayan and the teenager, including material contained on the student’s phone. Authorities cited the digital evidence when pursuing criminal charges against the teacher. [Santa Fe New Mexican]

Española Valley High Response

School Officials Had Previously Investigated Rumors About Masacayan. Before state police opened their criminal investigation, Española Valley High School officials had already heard rumors that Masacayan was having inappropriate contact with students. School administrators conducted their own investigation and concluded the allegations were unfounded. [New Mexico Political Report]

School Did Not Contact Police During Earlier Internal Investigation. Reporting on sexual misconduct in New Mexico schools later revealed that Española school officials did not contact law enforcement when they investigated the earlier allegations involving Masacayan. State Police became involved only after the 16-year-old disclosed the alleged relationship to his juvenile probation officer. [New Mexico Political Report]

Masacayan Worked At Española Valley High As A Special-Education Teacher. Española Public Schools’ staff directory for the 2021-22 school year listed Makana Mei Masacayan as a special-education teacher at Española Valley High School. She was working in the United States on a teacher work visa from the Philippines. [Española Public Schools]

Makana Masacayan Arrest And Charges

Masacayan Arrested And Booked Into Rio Arriba County Jail. State police arrested Masacayan in June 2022 and booked her into the Rio Arriba County jail in Tierra Amarilla. Her initial charges included fourth-degree criminal sexual penetration of a minor and criminal sexual contact of a minor. [Santa Fe New Mexican]

Prosecutors Also Charged Masacayan With Enticement And Contributing To Delinquency. Court records showed that in addition to the sexual-offense charges, Masacayan faced counts of contributing to the delinquency of a minor and enticement of a child. [Santa Fe New Mexican]

Makana Masacayan Plea Deal

Masacayan Pleaded No Contest To Three Charges. In March 2023, Masacayan appeared in state District Court in Tierra Amarilla and entered no-contest pleas to three charges under an agreement with prosecutors. The criminal sexual penetration count was dismissed as part of the plea agreement. [Santa Fe New Mexican]

Masacayan Sentenced To Three Years Of Supervised Probation. The court sentenced Masacayan to three years of supervised probation on the remaining charges. The probation requirements would apply if she remained in the United States. [Santa Fe New Mexican]

Masacayan’s U.S. Teacher Work Visa Was Revoked After Criminal Charges. Masacayan’s defense attorney said her work visa had been revoked after she was charged and that Masacayan intended to return to the Philippines as soon as she was able to retrieve her passport from the court. [Santa Fe New Mexican]

Judge Permanently Barred Masacayan From Working In U.S. Public Schools. State District Judge Jason Lidyard included a provision in Masacayan’s plea agreement prohibiting her from ever again working in a public school in the United States. [Santa Fe New Mexican]