CHESTERFIELD COUNTY, Va. -- A teacher at Chester Early Childhood Learning Academy has been arrested for allegedly assaulting several students at the school last year.
Chesterfield Police said the parents of a female student reached out to police on Sunday, March 5 to report that their child had been assaulted by her teacher, 57-year-old Lisa M. Harbilas, on Tuesday, Nov. 29, 2022.
“The parents had already reported this to the school and they were not satisfied with the results that they were given. So then they reached out to us to report the assault and battery," Capt. Michael Breeden, Chesterfield Police's Criminal Investigations Commander, said.
After that call, special victims detectives started looking into the case and discovered other complaints about the teacher that were already being investigated by the school system, according to Breeden.
Detectives said three other students were assaulted by Harbilas in November 2022 and that one student was assaulted by Harbilas in August 2022, Breeden said.
The victims were ages 5 and under, according to police.
Officers said they do not believe there are any additional victims.
Detectives obtained 12 warrants for misdemeanor assault for Harbilas on Tuesday in relation to the August and November 2022 assaults after consulting with the Chesterfield County Commonwealth Attorney’s Office, Breeden said.
Harbilas was served with the warrants Tuesday evening. She was released on her own recognizance, according to police.
“The employee will not return to the school division pending adjudication of the charges,” Chesterfield Schools Spokesman Shawn Smith said.
The mission of Chester Early Childhood Learning Academy "is to provide early childhood education services to Chesterfield County’s 4-year-old children who are most in need, as determined by the family’s economic needs and environmental risk factors that may impact the child’s kindergarten readiness," according to the school system's website.
Police said their investigation into the incident remains ongoing. Anyone with information is urged to call Chesterfield Police at 804-748-1251.
This is a developing story, so anyone with more information can email newstips@wtvr.com to send a tip.
