Teacher in South San Francisco arrested on charges of lewd acts with minors

A teacher at Parkway Heights Middle School in South San Francisco was arrested Thursday on charges of lewd acts with minors after police investigated “inappropriate behavior” with students.

Ahmad Rafah, an eighth-grade teacher at Parkway Heights Middle School, was arrested by police at his home Thursday and booked in San Mateo County jail. Rafah faces 12 counts of committing lewd and lascivious acts with minors, according to a South San Francisco Police Department news release.

Police said they began investigating Rafah after receiving information of inappropriate interactions with students. The San Francisco Unified School District had placed him on administrative leave.

Lewd acts with minors are defined as acts “arousing, appealing to, or gratifying the lust, passions, or sexual desires of that person or the child,” according to the California penal code.