Latest on What Happened at E.E. Lyon Elementary Deeply Disturbing

The latest information coming out about what happened at E.E. Lyon Elementary in Covington is deeply disturbing.

For anyone who hasn’t been following this case, former Lyon Principal Lauryn Faciane and Assistant Principal Tonya Barth were arrested in May for failing to comply with Louisiana’s mandatory child-abuse reporting laws. Both have since pleaded guilty. We later learned that two of the incidents involved serious sexual conduct between children as young as 8 and 9 years old.

Now, according to WDSU, a newly released Covington Police report is providing even more troubling details about what happened—and about opportunities that may have been missed to protect these children.

According to the police report, had the first incident involving a particular student been properly reported and addressed, a later incident involving that same student might have been prevented.

That makes this even more infuriating. Mandatory reporting isn’t bureaucratic paperwork. It exists to protect children and help prevent something from happening again. When adults entrusted with that responsibility fail to act, the consequences can extend far beyond the first incident.

Equally troubling is that parents were not always told what had happened to their own children.

As a parent, if my child suffers abuse, an attack, or any other serious incident while under the care of a school—whether involving another student or an adult—I expect to be told. Period.

So parents deserve an answer to a very basic question: Why would school administrators choose not to tell parents something this serious had happened to their child?

Was this simply catastrophic judgment at one school? Or has the desire to protect the image or “brand” of our school system become so important that bad news gets minimized rather than confronted openly? Are we ever sacrificing transparency—and potentially safety—to maintain a rosier public image?

I don’t know the answer. But after what we’ve learned, parents and the public have every right to ask.

I also want to recognize something important. I attended last night’s School Board meeting and heard a Lyon teacher speak emotionally about how the staff finally feels heard and thanked the Board and administration for the support they are now receiving. That matters. Steps have been taken to change the leadership and provide additional support at Lyon, and it appears those efforts are making a positive difference. That deserves to be acknowledged.

But another concern raised during public comments deserves attention as well. Employees and members of the public expressed concern that the pendulum may now be swinging too far in the opposite direction—that ordinary, innocent interactions with/between students, even something as simple as a hug or high five, are allegedly creating uncertainty about mandatory reporting because employees don’t believe they are receiving clear and consistent guidance.

That isn’t a solution either.

We cannot respond to serious failures by creating a climate where good teachers and employees are afraid that normal, appropriate human interaction with a child or between children could be treated as misconduct. We shouldn’t punish thousands of employees and students for the failures of a few.

What is needed is clear, consistent guidance and training: what must be reported, to whom, when, and what constitutes appropriate interaction with students. Protecting children and treating good employees fairly are not competing objectives. A well-run school system should be able to do both.

This is exactly why school safety is my number one priority. Safety isn’t just locked doors, cameras and resource officers. It means acting immediately when something serious happens, following the law, notifying parents, communicating honestly, supporting employees with clear expectations, and putting children first.

I’m also troubled by how much of this story has emerged piece by piece. Every new disclosure seems to reveal something more serious. What else don’t we know?

We need a full accounting of what happened, who knew what and when, why required reports weren’t made, why parents weren’t notified, and what changes are being made throughout the system.

Our parents deserve answers. Our employees deserve clear guidance and support. Taxpayers deserve accountability. And above all, our children deserve to be safe.

Link to WDSU article: Northshore principals failure to report abuse: New details - WDSU