A former teacher from Riverside broke into tears on Monday during a court hearing as the mother of her victim shared the painful experience endured by her 14-year-old son, who was abused by the teacher.
This emotional moment unfolded as Amanda Leigh Quinonez, who was in the defendant’s seat at the Riverside Superior Court, faced sentencing after engaging in a sexual relationship with her student nearly four years ago.
Quinonez had been teaching at Eleanor Roosevelt High School and worked as a swim and water polo coach until her arrest in April 2022.
With tears in her eyes, she expressed regret to the parents, acknowledging her failures as a teacher. Quinonez also hoped that her own daughter would judge her based on her future self rather than the person she is now.
In March, she admitted guilt to several charges, including sexual penetration with a foreign object and providing sexual materials to a minor, along with a count of committing lewd acts on a child.
The boy’s mother recounted a distressing incident at a baseball field. When she asked the coach about her son, the first coach said nothing, and only after some hesitation did another coach point her to the administration building, where she ultimately found her son sitting quietly with a Sheriff’s Deputy. It was there that she learned about the disturbing relationship with Quinonez.
Her son eventually confessed to the relationship, revealing that Quinonez had urged him to protect her.
Consequently, he and his older brother had to leave their baseball team and transfer to a new school due to the ridicule they faced from peers who knew about the situation.
The boy’s mother choked back tears while her husband echoed the challenges their son faced. He mentioned that kids on the baseball team continue to bring up his past relationship with the teacher.
Quinonez is scheduled to be taken into custody on Tuesday after being released on a $50,000 bond. She will undergo a mental evaluation at state prison and is set to return to court on November 10 for sentencing.
