Background: St. Ambrose Catholic School in Godfrey, Ill. (KSDK). Inset: Lisa Jacobs (Madison County Sheriff’s Office).
An Illinois teacher was arrested and charged with aggravated battery against a child after she allegedly dropped one of her toddler students.
Lisa Jacobs, 44, was a pre-kindergarten teacher at St. Ambrose Catholic School in Godfrey, located some 30 miles north St. Louis, Missouri, on the southwest border of Illinois, before she abruptly resigned after being investigated by police and the Department of Child Protective Services. She was accused of allegedly picking up a 3-year-old student then dropping her from five feet in the air, which resulted in the little girl being injured. The alleged incident took place on Dec. 3, and Jacobs was immediately placed on administrative leave. She resigned from her position on Dec. 4.
According to documents obtained by local news outlet RiverBender.com, Jacobs was charged with felony battery and “knowingly caused bodily harm” to the child, “in that the defendant picked up and dropped her to the ground from approximately five feet in the air.” The Madison County Sheriff’s Office confirmed to KSDK, a local NBC affiliate, that Jacobs was taken into custody, booked, and released. No details were provided about bail.
In response to the alleged incident, Fr. Steven Janoski, the pastor for the church that runs St. Ambrose Catholic School, sent a letter to parishioners and families of the school’s students saying, “This past Tuesday afternoon (December 3, 2024), Mr. Robert Baird, our school principal, was notified about an interaction between our pre-kindergarten teacher, Mrs. Lisa Jacobs and one of her students that caused concern. Mr. Baird immediately notified me and together we made the decision to place Mrs. Jacobs on administrative leave while the situation was investigated.”
Janoski mentioned the fact that Baird had met with one of the parents of the child involved in the incident and informed them that Jacobs had been placed on leave. Also mentioned was the involvement of the Madison County Sheriff’s Office and the Department of Child Protective Services.
Jacobs is expected to appear in court for a preliminary hearing on Dec. 13.
