Tracy Vanderhulst sexually abused a 16-year-old boy, deputies have said. (Mugshot: San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department)
A former ‘teacher of the year’ is accused of sexually abusing a 16-year-old boy, and authorities believe there may be more victims. Yucaipa High School math teacher Tracy Vanderhulst is facing one count of unlawful intercourse with a minor in San Bernardino County, California.
“On Thursday, May 18, 2023, detectives from the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department’s Specialty Investigations Division – Crimes Against Children and the Yucaipa Station investigated allegations of unlawful sex with a minor by a schoolteacher from Yucaipa High School,” the deputies wrote.
Detectives identified Vanderhulst as the suspect and took her to Central Detention Center in lieu of $30,000 bond.
“Investigators and the Yucaipa Calimesa Joint Unified School District worked cooperatively to ensure a thorough investigation of this matter was completed,” they wrote.
Authorities did not say if the boy was a student. Nevertheless, they suggest that Vanderhulst might have had other illicit encounters.
Deputies, concerning file number 602300044:
Detectives believe there may be other victims and release Vanderhulst’s booking photo. Anyone with information regarding this incident is asked to contact Detective Rachel Young of the Specialized Investigations Division, Crimes Against Children, detail at (909) 890-4904. Callers wishing to remain anonymous can call the We-Tip hotline at 1-800-78-CRIME (27463) or you can leave information on the We-Tip hotline at www.wetip.com.
She was Yucaipa Teacher of the Year in 2017.
“Tracy Vanderhulst is Yucaipa High School’s Teacher of the Year because she embodies the educator so many people desire to be,” Sherri Black, then assistant superintendent of human resources for the Yucaipa-Calimesa Unified School District, in a statement. provided by the Vanderhulst manager, according to the News Mirror. “She is the kind and innovative teacher that we hope our children will grow up to be; the educator who strives to engage all of her students, from her intervention classes to her specialization classes.
More Law&Crime coverage: Disgraced science teacher charged with raping student 15 or younger caught again with child she must ‘stay away’ from, sheriff says
A 2016 video shows her teaching a class called Math 2 honors. She told the production that this class is usually for 9th graders who were identified in middle school as “accelerated” or exceptional in math.
Vanderhulst was arrested Thursday night, according to the sheriff’s department. She was released the following afternoon. No court date is currently scheduled.
Law&Crime has left Yucaipa High School a request for comment regarding Vanderhulst’s employment status.
More law and crime coverage: Teacher’s aide accused of raping 16-year-old student she sent on Snapchat is fired just a month after being hired
Do you have a tip we should know? [email protected]