A Native charter school in New Mexico has started off the new academic year without an athletics director.

The Native American Community Academy (NACA) in Albuquerque placed Johnnie Douma on leave after Douma was arrested for alleged child abuse. An email about the school’s staff member went out to parents on August 19.

“We want to assure you that the school is fully aware of this matter and is looking into it carefully,” NACA Executive Director Zane J. Rosette said in the email.

“The staff member involved has been placed on administrative leave pending an investigation,” Rosette continued. “Importantly, none of the allegations relate to any students at our school.”

In the email, Rosette did not provide details about the allegations. But parents had already became aware of Douma’s situation following an August 16 post on a social media account called thehotspotabq.

The post, which came barely a week after classes at NACA started on August 7, stated that an arrest warrant had been issued in Albuquerque for Douma. The account said Douma was accused of abusing a four-year-old child in her home.

“Investigators say Douma claimed the boy fell in the bathtub, but a medical exam revealed the injuries were consistent with forceful trauma — pinching, striking, or pulling,” the post from thehotspotabq stated.

According to the post, the alleged abuse occurred at a home in Albuquerque that’s not far from the NACA campus in New Mexico’s largest city. However, detention records show Douma was arrested at the Pueblo of Laguna, about 45 miles west, on August 16.

The detention records indicate Douma was picked up by the tribe’s police department before being transferred to authorities in Bernalillo County. She was held in “Preventative Detention” for a charge of “Child Abuse,” according to the Metropolitan Detention Center in the county.

Court records further show the case against Douma was filed on August 12. The arrest warrant for one charge of “Abuse of a Child (Does Not Result in Death or Great Bodily Harm)” went out on the same day, according to State of New Mexico vs. Johnnie Denise Douma, No. T-4-FR-2025006601.

The records do not indicate how law enforcement ascertained Douma, whose year of birth is given as 1977, was at the Pueblo of Laguna or how long she had been there before being arrested four days after the warrant was issued. Douma comes from a large family on the reservation, and she has described herself as being Laguna, as well as being Tewa-Hopi from the Hopi Tribe in neighboring Arizona.

Records in a separate case, State of New Mexico v. Johnnie Denise Douma, No. D-202-PD-202501018, show authorities sought to keep Douma in detention before trial. However, the state’s request was denied on August 21, and an order setting the conditions of her release was issued on the same day, according to the records.

The Metropolitan Detention Center records further indicate Douma was released on recognizance on August 21. No bail was required, according to the records.

Douma is facing a charge of child abuse under Section 30-6-1 of New Mexico state law. Specifically, she is charged under Parts D and E, which read:

The charge is considered a Class 3 felony in New Mexico, indicating a first offense and a case of child abuse that does not result in death or great bodily harm. Douma could face up to three years in prison and a possible fine of up to $5,000, according to the Criminal Defense Lawyer site.

“We know that hearing about these situations can be concerning, and we want you to feel confident that we are addressing this matter with the seriousness it deserves,” the email from NACA stated. “Our priority remains the safety, well-being, and education of our students, and we are committed to maintaining a safe and supportive school environment.”

Before sending out the email last Tuesday, the school had taken steps to distance itself from Douma. Her name was removed from NACA’s staff page and other information about her, including her title, is no longer visible on the website.

Parents and others connected to NACA had posted multiple comments about Douma on thehotspotabq’s social media accounts. Students returned to school on the Monday following her arrest with no explanation about the staff member coming until the following day.

NACA is located at 1000 Indian School Rd NW in Albuquerque, not far from the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center, which is owned by the 19 Pueblo tribes in New Mexico. The Southwest Regional Office of the Bureau of Indian Affairs is next to the campus.

NACA serves students in elementary, middle and high school, providing them with a tuition-free education. The school operates as a non-profit.

According to the NACA Background Check Policy, a person whose past includes “child abuse” is barred from working at the school. Additionally, employees are required to inform the executive director of any arrest, charge or conviction of a criminal offense other than a minor traffic infraction.

“If an employee or contractor is found not to have self-reported as required by this Policy, the failure to self-report shall be a violation of that employee’s or contractor’s contract with NACA may be terminated at the discretion of the Executive Director,” the document reads.

According to thehotspotabq’s social media post, multiple children were in the home of Douma. The children told police about abuse of the four-year-old, the account said.

“The child and other kids in the home told police that Douma would spank and pull his ears whenever he had accidents,” the post from thehotspotabq read.

The text of the August 19 email from NACA Executive Director Zane J. Rosette to parents follows: