CVUSD teacher accused of molesting student arraigned

INDIO, Calif. (KESQ) - A Coachella Valley Unified School District teacher accused of inappropriately touching a student pleaded not guilty today to lewd acts on a minor and other offenses.  

Mario Manuel Valenzuela, 42, of Coachella was arrested last month following a Riverside County Sheriff's Department investigation.   

Along with the lewd acts count, Valenzuela is charged with annoying or molesting a minor under 18 years old, a misdemeanor.   

He was arraigned Thursday before Superior Court Judge Arthur Hester, who scheduled a felony settlement conference for April 23 at the Larson Justice Center in Indio.

Valenzuela is free on a $10,000 bond.   

According to sheriff's officials, reports of alleged illicit acts involving the defendant were received in December, prompting an investigation that spanned several months.

The girl allegedly targeted by Valenzuela was not identified, and the circumstances behind the encounter were not disclosed.   

CVUSD officials released a statement soon after the defendant's arrest in mid-February, stating "Our work with the sheriff's department is still in progress."  

"Please know that we do not tolerate any inappropriate behavior in our district and the safety of our students and staff is our top priority,'' the school district stated.

Officials declined to divulge in what specific instructional capacity he worked, for how long and whether his termination was imminent.   

Valenzuela has no documented prior felony convictions in Riverside County.