Apolinar Quesada, SFUSD labor director, indicted for alleged child sexual assault

Apolinar “Paul” Quesada, the senior executive director of labor relations for the San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD), has been indicted on charges of first-degree criminal sexual penetration of a child under 13. The indictment, issued in New Mexico, alleges the incident occurred in Grant County between January and February 1995, when Quesada was 18 years old.

The prosecution follows New Mexico’s recent decision to eliminate the statute of limitations for sexual contact with a minor. Quesada, who has served as a middle school principal and assistant principal in San Francisco since 2011, was arraigned on August 10.

SFUSD confirmed that Quesada has been placed on leave pending an internal investigation. Hong Mei Pang, the district’s head of governance, stated that the district was recently made aware of the allegations and emphasized that student safety is a priority. The district noted that the alleged acts did not take place in San Francisco and did not involve SFUSD students.