San Jose teacher, coach arrested for alleged sexual relationship with student

A San Jose high school teacher and coach was arrested this week and accused of having sex with a student, police said.

The Los Gatos-Monte Sereno Police Department said Thursday in a Facebook post it recently received a report of a teacher having an unlawful sexual relationship with a student between 2021-2023. 

The suspect was identified as 53-year-old San Jose resident Darrin Garcia. Police said Garcia had been the victim's teacher and coach at Santa Clara High School in Santa Clara and lived in Los Gatos at the time. He is currently a coach, physical education teacher, and athletic director at MacDonald High School in San Jose.

Police said Garcia has worked at multiple schools in Santa Clara County. A Santa Clara High School student news website said those schools include Lynbrook High School in San Jose and Saratoga High School in Saratoga.

On Wednesday, officers arrested Garcia at MacDonald High School, police said.

The Santa Clara County Unified School District sent a message Thursday to community members to inform them of Garcia's arrest and saying he had been placed on administrative leave pending the results of the investigation.

The district also said all employees undergo a complete background check before their first day of work, which includes clearance through the Department of Justice and the FBI. The district added that it was conducting its own investigation.

"Due to legal requirements that are part of the due process rights of all employees and students, we are limited in the information we may share about personnel matters," the district statement said. "Thank you for your understanding and patience as we continue working with our LGMSPD partners to address this situation. 

The police investigation was ongoing and anyone with information about the case or any similar cases was asked to contact Detective Riley Frizzell at 408-827-3558 or email police@losgatosca.gov.