APR•St Tammany has obtained new court records showing that the criminal cases involving two former E.E. Lyon Elementary administrators have now resulted in guilty pleas.
Lauryn Faciane, the former principal, pleaded guilty Wednesday, September 2, to two misdemeanor counts of failure to report abuse of children. Tanya Barth, the former assistant principal, pleaded guilty to one count of failure to report abuse of children. Both were sentenced to probation following consultation with the victims’ families, according to court officials.
The two women were originally arrested by Covington Police on May 27 after an investigation into allegations that they failed to comply with Louisiana’s mandatory reporting requirements. At the time, police declined to release details concerning the underlying incidents because children were involved.
Newly obtained charging document provides more details
A misdemeanor bill of information obtained by APR•St Tammany identifies three separate counts and, importantly, shows that the allegations did not all originate from the same date.
According to the charging document:
Count 1: Prosecutors alleged Tanya Barth failed to report abuse or neglect involving two children on or about December 1, 2025.
Count 2: Prosecutors alleged Lauryn Faciane failed to report abuse or neglect involving two children on or about April 28, 2026.
Count 3: Prosecutors alleged Faciane failed to report abuse or neglect involving another child sometime between September 1 and September 30, 2024.
APR is not publishing the initials of the children identified in the court document.
The filing is significant because when the women were arrested in May, the public was given very little information about what allegedly occurred. Covington Police said only that its Criminal Investigations Division conducted interviews and collected evidence before the arrests.
At that time, attorney Roy Burns disputed the allegations and said his clients had reported an incident to the school’s resource police officer and had done nothing wrong.
The guilty pleas now resolve those criminal charges.
What happens with their employment?
Following their arrests, St. Tammany Parish Public Schools removed Faciane and Barth from their positions at E.E. Lyon, although both remained employees of the school district.
As recently as September 2, the district said both remained on paid administrative leave.
E.E. Lyon has since been placed under new leadership, with Acting Principal Ben Strohl and Assistant Principals Kaci Puglia and Michelle Folse brought in for the current school year.
APR•St Tammany will continue following the case, including whether the guilty pleas result in any additional employment or administrative action by St. Tammany Parish Public Schools.