Holyoke kindergarten teacher resigns the same day he’s charged with possessing child porn
"This is troubling news, and we understand that this will prompt many questions from the community."
A former Holyoke kindergarten teacher was arrested Thursday night and charged with possession of child pornography. He had resigned from his job earlier the same day.
Gregory Lisby, 40, of Worcester, taught at Morgan Elementary School. A statement from Holyoke Public Schools said he was hired in August and also worked as a teaching assistant over the summer.
A Microsoft employee filed a tip with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children in December 2018 after a user uploaded suspected child porn to OneDrive, a file hosting service.
Other files uploaded to the service, including a resume, indicated the account belonged to Lisby, according to authorities.
Massachusetts State Police investigators found nearly 200 images and more than 10 videos of child porn on the account, according to court documents.
An apparent application was uploaded to OneDrive in which the writer identifies himself as Lisby and goes on to talk about why he wants to teach kindergarten, court documents said.
“If I could teach any grade, I would love to be a kindergarten teacher,” the file read, according to the documents. “The joy, spontaneity, and openness to learning of younger children is what attracts me to early childhood education. Plus, the energy of the kids, and the energy required of the teacher is exhilarating and tiring.”
Documents show Lisby emailed in his resignation to Holyoke schools around 2:30 a.m. Thursday. The Massachusetts U.S. District Attorney’s office said he was arrested Thursday night.
“Last night, I was accused of an awful crime that could put our Holyoke children in harms way,” his resignation email began.
Holyoke Public Schools emailed families at Morgan Elementary School regarding the allegations against Lisby before charges were filed.
“As always, student safety and well-being are the primary priorities in the Holyoke Public Schools,” it read. “All employees are fingerprinted and undergo background checks. Mr. Lisby passed the background checks at his time of hire.”
The statement said district officials would be in contact with the families of children who worked with Lisby.
“This is troubling news, and we understand that this will prompt many questions from the community,” it read.
Lisby was scheduled to appear in federal court at 2:15 p.m. Friday.
