PLAQUEMINE, LA – A heated sideline encounter at a Louisiana elementary school basketball game last week led to two arrests and an injury to a school principal.
During an after-school basketball game on January 13 at Iberville Elementary School in Plaquemine, the school’s principal intervened when she noticed two young children stepping onto the court. In an effort to ensure their safety, she repeatedly moved the children away from the active game area.
Surveillance footage captured the principal lifting a student off the court and guiding another child away. In her continued attempts to avert potential disruptions, she addressed a mother, later identified as 33-year-old Alessia Parker, who was passing by with three children.
Plaquemine Police Chief Stephen Engolio reported that the principal asked Parker to keep her children off the court, as their presence was disrupting the game. This request seemed to agitate Parker, leading to a confrontation. The footage shows Parker, holding a child and with another on her hip, aggressively approaching the principal and striking her after a brief verbal exchange.
A nearby deputy from the Iberville Sheriff’s Department quickly intervened, but not before the principal sustained a busted lip and head injury from the altercation. She was treated at a local hospital and returned to work the following day.
Parker surrendered to authorities the next day and was charged with resisting officers, disturbing the peace, and felony battery of a school teacher. Another woman, Jemecia Godchaux, allegedly involved in the altercation, was also arrested. Engolio indicated that Godchaux, 37, was accused of exacerbating the situation by making threats and engaging in disorderly conduct.
Both women have had prior legal issues. Godchaux was found to have an outstanding bench warrant. The two have been banned from all schools within the Iberville Parish School system.
Dr. Louis Voiron, Superintendent of the Iberville Parish School Board, emphasized that such behavior would not be tolerated. This incident has prompted a broader conversation about safety and conduct at school events, reflecting the challenges staff face in maintaining a safe environment.
The school’s decision to prohibit Parker and Godchaux from the premises underscores a commitment to ensuring the safety and well-being of students and staff. The principal, meanwhile, is recovering and continuing her duties.
