NEW ORLEANS (LA)
WDSU [New Orleans LA]
September 4, 2026
By Erin Lowrey
A Covington principal and assistant principal accused of failing to comply with the state’s mandatory reporting law both pleaded guilty to charges in court Wednesday morning.
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.
At the time of the incident, Covington police said the charges followed an investigation conducted by the department’s Criminal Investigations Division.
At the time of their arrests, the Department of Children and Family Services, the Louisiana Department of Education, and the Louisiana Board of Elementary and Secondary Education were notified of the investigation, according to Covington police.
According to St. Tammany District Attorney Colin Sims, two of the incidents involved serious sexual conduct between two 8-9 year-olds on the school campus.
Sims said that Faciane and Barth were both specifically trained to report suspected abuse, and that in these instances, 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.”
According to the St. Tammany Parish School District, Barth and Faciane remain on administrative leave with pay at this time.