2 St. Tammany Parish School employees arrested for cruelty to a juvenile

COVINGTON, Louisiana – Covington police have arrested a teacher and an aide for cruelty to a juvenile.

According to police, the incident occurred last Tuesday at EE Lyon Elementary School in Covington.

A camera in a classroom for students with special needs filmed 44-year-old Catherine Mumphrey and 71-year-old Lauren Brenckle “physically abusing” a student with disabilities.

According to Covington PD, Mumphrey and Brenckle are no longer employed by the school system. Both face child abuse charges.

“The Covington Police Department is committed to the safety and well-being of all children in our community,” said Police Chief Michael Ferrell. “We take allegations of child abuse very seriously and will thoroughly investigate all such allegations.”

WWL Louisiana contacted Covington Police to ask if they would release the video. They responded, “Because the incident involved a juvenile, we will not be releasing any further information at this time.”

Last month, another aide at EE Lyon Elementary School was arrested after being charged with child abuse. Police say this incident is not related to the crime.

“Student safety is our top priority and this behavior is absolutely unacceptable,” said Frank Jabbia, superintendent of St. Tammany Parish Public Schools. “We immediately took appropriate action in this situation and are committed to maintaining a safe learning environment in our schools for all of our students.”

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