A former Minnesota Teacher of the Year is accused of sexually assaulting a student years after the alleged abuse.

On Wednesday, the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office charged 38-year-old Abdul Jameel Wright with first-degree criminal sexual conduct involving a 14-year-old student at Harvest Best Academy in Minneapolis.

Wright is accused of assaulting the girl on separate occasions, including on school property between 2016 and 2017.

Wright was named Minnesota Teacher of the Year in 2016 while working at Harvest Best Academy.

He was most recently a teacher at St. Louis Park High School, but a school district spokesperson told 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS Wright resigned in June.

KSTP attempted to reach Wright unsuccessfully and Harvest Best Academy responded late Wednesday night, providing the following statement:

“Harvest Best Academy was notified that charges were filed today in Hennepin County Court against a former teacher at our school, Abdul Wright. He has not been employed at Best Academy since 2021. These allegations stem from an encounter eight years ago.

Wright was formally charged with sexual misconduct involving a former Best Academy student. At this time, we are gathering all available information and facts related to these allegations. We are limited in what we can share until this thorough investigation has been conducted and we are fully cooperating with all authorities.

We understand these allegations may be concerning, and our top priority remains the safety and security of our school community. We are committed to ensuring that our learning environment remains safe, supportive, and conducive to the success of all our students and staff members.

Harvest Best Academy is a tuition-free public charter school in Minneapolis that builds strong foundations to help students graduate from high school, graduate from college, and successfully transition to a career. It is among the highest-performing schools for African American sin Minnesota and is founded on a culture of high expectations for its students that also celebrates academic achievement.”

-A spokesperson for Harvest Best Academy