2 elementary school administrators arrested for failure to report child abuse, police say

COVINGTON, La. (WVUE/Gray News) - Two elementary school administrators in Louisiana have been arrested on allegations they failed to report child abuse.

The now-former principal at E.E. Lyon Elementary School, Lauryn Faciane, and the former assistant principal, Tanya Barth, are accused of violating the state’s mandatory reporting law, which requires school administrators to report suspected abuse or neglect involving children.

Attorney Roy Burns, who represents both women, said the charges are baseless.

“They’re not guilty,” he said. “They did nothing, and we’re going to fight it till the very end.”

Burns added that his clients reported an incident to the school’s resource police officer and did not violate any law.

According to Covington police, they cannot release details about the events that resulted in the investigation to protect the children involved.

Brant Osborn, with the St. Tammany Federation of Teachers and School Employees, said reporting any alleged child abuse is an essential part of the job.

“If it’s employee-related, you have to call law enforcement yourself,” he said. “We recommend people call law enforcement directly. If it’s abuse within the home or by a caregiver, the call is to the Department of Children and Family Services.”

Osborn noted that this case is unusual.

“This is obviously quite shocking. I don’t know that I’ve ever seen a news story like this,” he said. “I do want to stress, though, as a union, we believe everybody deserves their due process rights, allow the police to do their part, allow the justice system to handle this.”

Faciane and Barth no longer serve at Lyon Elementary but remain employees of the district, St. Tammany Parish Public Schools Superintendent Frank Jabbia said in a statement.

“The district takes all matters involving student safety seriously and has fully cooperated with law enforcement during this investigation,” Jabbia said.

The school system was limited in what information could be shared before the arrests, saying the investigation remains active.

The district has a plan in place to provide leadership and support at Lyon Elementary as it prepares for the upcoming school year, Jabbia said. He added the district provides annual training and regular updates on mandatory reporting laws and remains committed to continuing professional development on the recognition of child neglect and abuse.