Former Music Teacher Charged with Child Sexual Abuse

Keita Hasegawa, a former music teacher at Castro Valley High School and Creekside Middle School, was arrested last week and charged with seven felony counts related to child sexual abuse with a student for three years. 

Alameda County Sheriff's Office (ACSO) detectives issued a statement last Friday that Hasegawa had an emotional and sexual relationship with an 11-year-old student while she attended Creekside in 2021 and 2022 and then later when she attended CVHS.

The issue came to light last spring when the student informed the school administration that they thought the teacher had inappropriate content on a device. Hasegawa was placed on administrative leave in April by CVHS, school authorities confirmed. He turned himself in last Thursday after the Alameda County District Attorney's Office issued a warrant for his arrest. 

CVUSD Superintendent Parvin Ahmadi said the high school is providing resources for students and staff but that the overarching feelings in the District are shock and sadness.

“As an educator and mother, I know in my heart that it is a profound privilege to work with children, one that requires trust that each and every day we will treat all children of all ages with compassion, respect, and dignity,” Ahmadi wrote in an email to parents over the weekend. “I know that the many employees in our district who work day after day with our students share these values, and I know that learning a colleague shattered the trust that we all seek to create and nurture makes them heartsick.”

The investigation into Hasegawa began after CVHS's principal learned that Hasegawa was alone with the victim at her residence after hours earlier this year. The principal had called Hasegawa by telephone to discuss an upcoming school event. Hasegawa disclosed he was at the victim's home to support her through a mental health crisis. The principal called 9-1-1 to report the victim was in crisis after Hasegawa failed to notify anyone of the emergency.

Deputies responded to the juvenile's residence in Castro Valley, where they encountered Hasegawa with the victim. Concerned for the juvenile's safety and following the incident, deputies followed up with the victim to determine the nature of her relationship with Hasegawa. After building a rapport with the victim, she told deputies about inappropriate texts between her and Hasegawa. The investigation ultimately led to deputies speaking with other CVHS students and parents, who provided information that widened the scope of the investigation.

In the months following, detectives, school resource officers, and patrol deputies recovered screenshots of messages between the victim and Hasegawa, written on social media site Discord.

“The messages were concerning, but they were incomplete,” ACSO spokesperson Lieutenant Tya Modeste said. “They did not yield enough probable cause to arrest Hasegawa for any crimes committed against the victim, who, along with Hasegawa, initially denied their association was beyond the boundaries of a student and teacher relationship.”

Once detectives seized Hasegawa's cell phone and later searched it pursuant to a warrant granted for evidence related to the case, they recovered messages from Hasegawa's phone to support he had been sexually abusing the victim since she was in middle school.

Hasegawa is currently in custody at the Santa Rita Jail pending arraignment.