Former educator convicted of sexual abuse; receives prison term

Erin Hamilton-Foley (Provided by Madison County State’s Attorney’s Office)

A former educator at Edwardsville High School has been convicted of Aggravated Criminal Sexual Abuse and sentenced to four years in prison.

Erin Hamilton-Foley, 53, pleaded guilty Monday [Sept. 22, 2025] in Circuit Court in Madison County to the Class 1 felony charge.

Hamilton-Foley was an assistant principal at Edwardsville High School when she was charged in May 2023 with having a sexual relationship with a student who was younger than 18. The victim was 17 at the time, but the defendant held a position of trust, authority or supervision in relation to the defendant, constituting a criminal offense.

With the conviction, Hamilton-Foley will have to register as a sex offender. Upon completion of the prison term, she will be required to serve a term of Mandatory Supervised Release, formerly known as parole.

The case was investigated by Edwardsville Police Department.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant State’s Attorney Ali Foley, who is head of the Children’s Justice Division at the State’s Attorney’s Office, and Assistant State’s Attorney Rebecca Buettner, who is assigned to the division. Throughout the prosecution of the case, the Children’s Justice Division worked in consultation with the victim, who was in support of the guilty plea and for whom it was important that the defendant admit wrongdoing as part of a felony conviction.

Circuit Judge Amy Maher presided over the plea hearing.