Placentia Teacher Found Hanging In High School Classroom
PLACENTIA (CBSLA.com) — A high school teacher was found hanging Monday inside a classroom in Placentia, according to police.
The teacher was found deceased inside a classroom at El Dorado High School at 1641 Valencia Avenue just before school started Monday morning, according to Placentia police.
She was later identified as Jillian Jacobson, 31, by the assistant superintendent of the Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School District.
KNX 1070's Pete Demetriou reports students and another teacher got the woman down to the floor and called 911 about 8:40 a.m. this morning.
The discovery was made after students said the classroom door was locked during first period, according to Point. A neighboring teacher unlocked the door and students found the teacher hanging, Lt. Eric Point said.
Police and Orange County Fire Authority paramedics responded and found a female adult in full cardiac arrest, Point said. After attempts to revive her were unsuccessful, she was declared dead on the scene, according to Point.
The death is believed to be a suicide, but no note was found at the scene, police said.
Officials gathered the entire student body into the campus gymnasium about 11 a.m. and informed them of the death, and then dismissed students for the remainder of the day, a school administrator said.
Isaiah, a junior at El Dorado, said as the news spread, emotions came to the surface across campus.
"Just seeing people as I walk by really gets to me," he said. "I've hugged some friends, it's made my cry."
Candy Plahy, Assistant Superintendent for Education for the Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School District, said school will resume tomorrow with additional staffing on hand.
"We'll have crisis counselors on staff all throughout the rest of the week," said Plahy.
A spokesperson for the district said Jacobson was hired in the 2008-09 school year to teach art. She worked at El Dorado High School for eight years, during which time she taught photography to students in the 9th-12th grades.
Students and loved ones gathered Monday night for a candlelight vigil, remembering the teacher and how she touched their lives.
"Just because somebody smiles doesn't mean they're OK," one mourner said.
"She was always joking around and sarcastic and funny," added student Hannah Rankin. "I just didn't see it coming at all."
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