The incident prompted a thorough investigation by juvenile detectives into a teacher at Central Lafourche High School in Mathews, Louisiana. This followed allegations made by a 16-year-old student and her 15-year-old friend, suggesting they had engaged in inappropriate online conversations with the teacher through an instant messaging platform.
The claims, filed on December 18, led detectives to spend two weeks investigating, during which they conducted several interviews and secured search warrants for the phones and social media accounts of everyone involved.
The Facebook post stated, “The investigation proved the teacher had not sent any messages or photos to the girls and, in fact, had no involvement.”
“The teacher was actually proven to be the crime victim and has been cleared of all allegations.”
The sheriff’s office mentioned that only one student confessed to participating in the crime, but both have been placed under electronic monitoring and released to their parents’ custody.
The students face charges of false swearing for public health or safety violations, cyberstalking, and online impersonation, according to LPSO.
Sheriff Craig Webre lauded the detectives for their thorough investigation, commenting that they treat allegations of inappropriate behavior with utmost seriousness.
“Someone’s life can be instantly ruined by a false allegation, and I am proud that our investigators were able to get to the bottom of this,” Webre continued.
“Technology has made it very easy for people to try to manipulate the truth, but technology also makes it easy for investigators to ultimately find the truth.”
Lafourche Parish Schools Superintendent Jarod Martin expressed his dismay, stating, “We are shocked and appalled to learn of the actions of two of our students.
“The allegations against one of our teachers were false and malicious, and we appreciate the efficiency of investigators in uncovering the source of these messages.
“Such attacks on a teacher’s credibility and reputation are concerning and can inhibit their ability to effectively educate our children.”
Martin added, “We are committed to investigating all allegations of misconduct in order to provide a safe environment conducive to learning and working for all of our students and staff.”