A Jefferson Parish school employee at Riverdale High School has been arrested and booked on counts of molestation of a juvenile and indecent behavior with a juvenile.
Phabion Woodward, 25, of New Orleans was being held at the Jefferson Parish Correctional Center without bond.
Jefferson Parish Public Schools issued a statement acknowledging the accusations but did not say what his job at the school was nor whether he was still employed.
Woodward was accused of inappropriately contacting a student online and making inappropriate contact with her at the school, according to Sgt. Brandon Veal of the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office.
Veal said a parent of another student learned of the abuse and told school officials who brought in the sheriff’s office.
The school district issued the following statement:
We are aware that an employee of Jefferson Parish Schools has been accused of sexually assaulting one of our students. We will cooperate with law enforcement in the ongoing investigation of this matter. The District will assign crisis team members to the school to provide additional support and counseling for staff and students as needed. Although we have no reason to believe that any other student was involved, parents are encouraged to contact local law enforcement if they believe that their child may have been involved or may have any information regarding the alleged incident.
In Jefferson Parish Schools, we are committed to providing a safe and nurturing environment in which to work and learn. To that end, the district provides annual training for students and staff on topics that include sexual assault and harassment. Students and staff are provided information on where to go if they feel that they have been a victim of sexual misconduct or have knowledge of any such inappropriate behavior. School and district officials consistently and emphatically encourage anyone who has knowledge of any kind of sexual misconduct to report immediately to the appropriate school officials and to the local authorities.