A Charlotte-Mecklenburg Public Schools (CMS) teacher is facing charges that she had sex with a student.

GABRIELA ALEXANDRA CARTAYA NEUFELD

Gabriela Alexandra Cartaya Neufeld, age 26, was arrested and charged with five counts of felony sexual activity with a student by a teacher on Nov. 29.

A judge set Neufeld’s bond at $75,000, which she posted and was released on Nov. 30.  Electronic monitoring was also ordered for Neufeld as the student had threatened to run away with her.

Neufeld and an 18-year-old student at South Mecklenburg High School engaged in “intercourse or a sexual act” at least five times since Oct. 18, per court documents.

The sex acts did not occur on school property and the Charlotte Police Department said in a release that the incidents happened near the 5300 block of Closeburn Road, as well as in the victim’s home and Neufeld’s home.

According to WSOCTV, Neufeld was caught by the boy’s mother after she noticed her son was not at Rugby practice on an app that tracks phone locations. The mom tracked down her son to a park location, drove there, and saw Neufeld having sex with her son. The mom took pictures of the car and license plate before calling the police who arrested Neufeld at the park.

The school’s website shows Neufeld as a grade 9-12 science teacher.

A bio on the Appalachian State website says Neufeld is originally from Boone, North Carolina, and graduated with a Bachelor of Science in biology with a concentration in ecology, environmental science, and evolution in 2019 and a graduate certificate in middle and secondary teaching in 2020.

The App State website bio also notes Neufeld’s teaching position at CMS with a quote from her that reads, “I absolutely love teaching and love science. I feel I am in the perfect career for me!”

In a statement to parents, South Mecklenburg High School Principal Marc Angerer said “We take this matter seriously.”

“We share your concerns regarding this situation,” Angerer said. “The safety and security of our students and staff is of the utmost importance to us all, and while this is a troubling situation, it is being managed by law enforcement.”

Neither Angerer nor CMS have commented on Neufeld’s employment status.

WSOCTV reported the prosecutor in the case said there were rumors on campus about Neufeld and the student “for a long time” and that “at one point, administrators even questioned the student and the teacher about it.”

Under a law passed this year, education employees who commit acts of indecent liberties or sex with a student are subject to increased criminal penalties.

Session Law 2023-128 (House Bill 142) increases the penalties for those acts from a Class I to a Class G felony.  A Class G felony carries a sentence of 8 to 31 months, whereas a Class I carries a 3 to 12 month sentence.

The new law also makes it a Class I felony for school officials for failing to report misconduct toward students.

Under the law, the Center for Safer Schools is required to produce and distribute an informational video related to child abuse, neglect, and grooming that schools will be required to show students in grades six through 12.

Additionally, retirement benefits are forfeited by education employees convicted of sex crimes against students

Per state records, Neufeld holds an active NC teaching license under the name Gabriela Neufeld. The license was issued in July 2023 for “Science 9-12.” The license, unless revoked in advance, will expire on June 30, 2028.

The investigation is ongoing and police ask that anyone with information about the case please call Crime Stoppers at 704-334-1600 or http://charlottecrimestoppers.com/.

For additional information about this case, please refer to the report: 20231129-1437-01.

Of education employee arrests tracked by this website since Jan. 1, 2023, Neufeld lands at number 62.

Since this website began regularly tracking education employee arrests in 2016, this year’s total is the highest and well-surpasses 2017’s high of 54.