Police said Dawn Chester was teaching at Westchester Middle School when she abused a girl during the student's sixth and seventh grade years from 1998 to 2000.
Chester then resigned and has been teaching in the Berkeley district since 2000.
In a statement, Berkeley School District 87 superintendent, Dan Sullivan, said Chester has been placed on leave.
"This is an unfortunate situation, and I want to assure parents and students that our students and their safety remain the District's number one priority," Sullivan said, in part.