New details have been revealed in the investigation of two Northshore principals accused of failing to report child abuse at Lyon Elementary.
WDSU obtained a police report from the Covington Police Department that outlined three incidents the principals failed to report.
The St. Tammany school board is having a special meeting Monday September 21. The meeting is a closed executive session to discuss the details of the police report among other things. After the meeting the floor will be open for public comment, but families must sign up a half hour early.
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Tanya Barth and Lauryn Faciane both pleaded guilty to charges of failing to report the abuse of a child. Faciane pleaded guilty to two counts.
Both were sentenced to probation in consultation with the victims’ families.
Barth and Faciane worked at E.E. Lyon Elementary School in Covington, according to the school’s website.
The law requires school administrators to promptly report suspected abuse, neglect and other incidents involving children to authorities.
According to the police report, Barth and Faciane failed to report a case of physical abuse to a special needs child in 2024. In this instance, the parent had photographic documentation of the abuse and the person accused in the case pled guilty to charges that same year.
In two other instances, Barth and Faciane failed to report sexual abuse involving children.
According to the police report, one incident took place between a girl and a boy in December 2025 and was never reported. In this incident, it was never reported to law enforcement or DCFS, and the principals told police that an internal investigation was conducted.
One of the children involved in that incident, a boy described as between the ages of 8 and 9, was also involved in the second incident that took place in April 2026.
In the April 28 incident, a boy reported that he was sexually abused by the other boy in the bathroom of the school, according to the police report.
The report said a counselor and Faciane were made aware of the abuse the day of the incident. The day after, the school resource officer was made aware.
When the school’s Mental Health Provider was informed, they told the staff the incident needed to be reported.
A detective later spoke with Faciane about the incident, and she told the detective that she and the counselor were aware of it and called the school district. Faciane told the detective that the district instructed her to contact the family of the boys.
The report states that only one of the parents was notified of the abuse. The second parent told police they found out about the abuse from their child.
According to the police report, the detective told Faciane she was a mandatory reporter and could go to jail. Police also indicated that the April incident would have never happened if the December incident involving the boy had been properly reported.
The detective also spoke with the counselor, who also confirmed she did not report the incident.
Due to the children’s ages, they cannot face charges in connection with the sexual abuse.
The report also alleges other concerning incidents that happened at the school that were not reported by additional administrators. Those administrators were not charged in the case, according to the report.
Those incidents include a child leaving a classroom, a student possessing a knife in the cafeteria, a student possessing bullets, allegations of missing PTA funds, and another student striking a female student on the buttocks.
WDSU has reached out to the St. Tammany Parish School District for comment regarding the employment of Faciane and Barth, as well as any additional penalties involving allegations against the other administrators mentioned in the report.
The district declined to comment.
At the time of the principals’ pleas, St. Tammany District Attorney Colin Sims said that Faciane and Barth were both specifically trained to report suspected abuse, and that in these instances, it would have required mandatory reporting.
Read Sims’ full statement regarding the guilty pleas below:
“On September 2, 2026, Lauryn Faciane and Tonya Barth, previous administrators of Lyon Elementary in Covington, both pled guilty to violating Louisiana’s mandatory reporter laws. Two of the incidents involved serious sexual conduct that occurred on campus between students between 8-9 years old.
“These incidents were not reported to the School Resource Officer (SRO), other Law Enforcement, or the Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS). In one incident, the child’s parents were not notified that anything had occurred. We would like to commend the Covington Police Department for its investigation that brought these failures to light. Louisiana’s mandatory reporter laws exist to protect children.
“They help identify and hold accountable those who abuse children, but just as importantly, they ensure suspected abuse is reported promptly so appropriate authorities can intervene and protect every child involved, whether the abuse is limited to a particular situation or stems from another source.
“While children of the ages involved in these incidents are not criminally culpable under Louisiana law, the current statutory framework treats a failure to report this type of abuse between children below the age of criminal culpability as a misdemeanor offense. That legal distinction does not diminish the seriousness of the underlying conduct or the obligation to report it.
“Sexual conduct involving children this young meets the definition of child abuse and demands an immediate and appropriate response. These particular administrators had previously received specific training addressing this very issue, including the requirement that suspected child-on-child abuse be reported. School personnel do not have the discretion to minimize such conduct, dismiss it because of the children’s ages, or determine that it does not warrant reporting.
“When the law requires a report, that report must be made so that parents and the appropriate authorities can assess what occurred, determine whether any child may have been harmed or exposed to abuse, and take the steps necessary to protect all children involved.
“These reporting requirements are not technicalities. They are safeguards designed to protect vulnerable children, and a failure to follow them can have serious consequences. We hope this outcome leads to a thorough re-evaluation of reporting practices within the school system and reinforces the responsibility of every mandatory reporter to act promptly when the law requires.”
READ MORE:New details revealed after former Lyon Elementary school principals plead guilty to charges
