Former Amazon "teacher of the year" in Lynn, Massachusetts charged with child rape

Tymond Tran, who was named one of Amazon's teachers of the year in 2022 for his work in Lynn, Massachusetts, has been charged with raping a child.

The Essex District Attorney's office said Wednesday that a grand jury indicted Tran on July 15, charging him aggravated rape of a child with a 5-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.

Tran was most recently a teacher at Lowell Community Charter Public School. According to a statement from the school, the charges relate to allegations that took place in Lynn in 2022 before he was employed in Lowell.

"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," the school said in a statement.

Tran pleaded not guilty at his arraignment Wednesday morning in Essex County Superior Court in Salem. He was released into home confinement with a GPS monitoring device. He's due back in court on August 26.

"Like all employees, this individual underwent all required state and federal criminal background checks prior to employment. 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," Lowell Community Charter Public School said in a statement. "The school has cooperated with law enforcement and will continue to closely monitor the situation. Because this matter involves an ongoing criminal proceeding, we are unable to provide additional details or comment further at this time."

In 2022, Tran was teaching computer science at Thurgood Marshall Middle School in Lynn. He worked there from 2021 to 2024 and left on his own before achieving professional status, according to officials in Lynn.

Lynn Mayor Jared Nicholson and Superintendent of Schools Molly Cohen issued a joint statement after Tran's arraignment.

"We are shocked and disturbed by this news. Our primary concern is for the well-being of the former LPS student. Our hope for that student is healing and justice," they said. "We also 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."

Amazon named Tran a Future Engineer Teacher of the Year in 2022. He was awarded $5,000 and the school received $25,000.

"I was incredibly surprised. I had no idea it was coming, and it turned out to be really wonderful because it just so happened to be the week that our superintendent of the district was in," Tran told CBS News Boston in May 2022.

Tran was one of 10 teachers in the country to receive the award.