A high school math teacher at the Learning Choice Academy in La Mesa is facing accusations of having sex with a female student. NBC 7 investigative reporter Alexis Rivas has the details.
A high school math teacher at the Learning Choice Academy has been charged with having a sexual relationship with a 17-year-old female student, according to criminal court documents.
Michael Davis carried out that relationship from February through March of this year, according to the criminal complaint filed by the San Diego County District Attorney. San Diego police arrested Davis last week at the academy’s location on Spring Street.
Prosecutors accuse Davis of 12 felony charges, which include contacting a minor with the intent to have sex, two counts of oral sex and seven counts of sexual intercourse.
Court records show that Davis is 34 years old. He’s pleaded not guilty.
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Davis appeared in court Tuesday for a bail hearing when a judge lowered his bail against the objections of prosecutors from $200,000 to $50,000. The judge ruled that he would be forced to wear a GPS monitor and isn’t allowed to have any contact with the alleged victim. He bonded out of jail Tuesday evening.
In his attorney’s filing to reduce the bond amount, he wrote that his client was accused of having sex with a 17-year-old female student. The attorney said the alleged sexual activity was consensual. The attorney also wrote that his client had no other criminal history.
NBC 7 Investigates called and emailed his attorney to offer Davis an opportunity to comment. We did not get a response.
The Learning Choice Academy told us Davis has been put on administrative leave and said he’s been employed there since late 2022.
Investigations
A spokeswoman shared this statement:
This public statement is made by The Learning Choice Academy (“TLC”) in response to recently learning that a TLC Teacher has been arrested. While we have no reason to believe any abuse occurred on campus or in connection with the School, TLC is fully cooperating with law enforcement. At this time the teacher has been placed on administrative leave pending the current investigation, which is standard protocol. We also would like to take this opportunity to remind our school community of TLC’s practices to help keep our students safe.
Please know the safety and well-being of all TLC students is always the School’s highest priority. TLC employees must be lawfully cleared to work through a thorough criminal background and reference check process. In addition, all staff members receive ongoing training to ensure the highest standards of professional conduct and student safety. TLC also maintains a comprehensive complaint process to ensure that any potential misconduct is detected, halted, and remediated as early as possible.
At this time, although TLC has very few details, it will not be able to provide specific factual responses to inquiries, as this is an ongoing criminal investigation and there are privacy interests that may be implicated. We can confirm that the School never received any complaints or suspicions of child abuse or boundaries violations by this employee before now.
To support our students and staff, independent counseling resources will be available on campus today. We understand that situations like this can be deeply unsettling, and we remain committed to providing a safe, supportive learning environment for every child.
We thank our school community for your trust and patience as we respond to this serious matter with care and responsibility.
An incident at the school during our coverage
NBC 7 Investigates visited the TLC’s La Mesa location on Tuesday. While our crew was gathering video on a public sidewalk, a man approached and made repeated efforts to block our camera from recording.
The man wouldn’t identify himself but told us he was instructed to do what he was doing by school staff. Afterward, he walked back behind the school’s gate.
We reached back out to the school spokesperson afterward, who apologized for the interaction and told us this person was a parent volunteer with the school who was concerned about student privacy.
