Teacher charged with molestation

A respected teacher and union leader whose wife was recently elected to a nearby school board pleaded not guilty Friday to molestation charges involving six current and former elementary students, authorities said.

He posted $600,000 bail.

James Andrew Megaw, 42, of Alta Loma had inappropriate contact with three boys and three girls at Valencia Elementary, according to the San Bernardino County district attorney’s office. Megaw, a former president of the Upland Teachers Assn., has been honored multiple times for teaching and community work. His wife, Shari Megaw, recently was elected to the board of the Chaffey Joint Union High School District, in the Ontario area.

The felony complaint, filed Thursday, alleges six counts of a lewd act upon a child for which Megaw faces up to 11 years and four months in state prison. Five of the six alleged victims were in Megaw’s class this year.

“You have a number of children making consistent, similar complaints,” said San Bernardino County Deputy Dist. Atty. Jason Anderson, who declined to elaborate.

Megaw resigned his teaching position effective Jan. 4. The Upland school district placed him on paid leave in late October, when the allegations came to light.

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