Jillian Jacobson : California teacher found hanging in classroom

Jillian Jacobson, 31, was found dead in her classroom at 8.30am on Monday morning

When students arrived, her door was locked.

“Students trying to get into the classroom couldn’t. So, they went next door to a nearby teacher. He opened the door and that’s when the found the teacher,” said Placentia Police Lt. Eric Point.

Point said a teacher and staff member removed the body from the ceiling and placed it on the floor. Paramedics tried resuscitating Jacobson, but were unsuccessful.

Students who saw the teacher lifeless in the classroom were allowed to go home almost right away. Once grief counselors arrived, the rest of the students went to an assembly in the gym. They were allowed to leave at 11 a.m.

A student at the assembly, Isaiah Campbell, said he found himself consoling students who were very emotional. He said they were “crying, sobbing, terrible.”

“I hated to see these poor souls trying to get over it,” Campbell said.

Student Victor Carrasco found himself consoling a teacher.

“I was actually still talking to one of my teachers, cheering him up and being there for him,” Carrasco added.

“She’ll be missed. She’ll be missed,” echoed instructional aide Patricia Gibbs.

Gibbs said she feels sad about what happened and worries about the students who saw Jacobson hanging in her classroom.

“I can just imagine the look on their faces and the shock they must have felt… the horror… the sadness… the sadness knowing that the teacher’s gone,” she said.

Agencies/Canadajournal