Acadiana High student arrested after allegedly punching school safety officer on first day of school
SCOTT, La. Aug 11 2017 A senior student at Acadiana High School was arrested yesterday after allegedly punching a school safety officer multiple times on the first day of school, according to the Scott Police Department.
Police Chief Chad Leger said the incident happened Wednesday after the student, Robert Hebert, 17, of Duson, was sent to the front office for a dress code violation.
Hebert was in violation of the dress code because his hair was not a natural color.
He was instructed to call a parent to take him home. Initially, Hebert would but not receive any disciplinary action for the infraction because it was the first day of school.
School officials told Hebert to eat lunch while waiting for his parent and return to the front office. A teacher then found Hebert hiding in an unauthorized area of the school, Leger said.
A school safety officer began to escort Hebert to the front office when Hebert refused to go.
The safety officer then attempted to physically escort Hebert.
That’s when Leger says Hebert turned and punched the safety officer twice in the head.
Eventually, the safety officer was able to restrain Hebert against the wall but was still reportedly being punched in the head and face.
School resource officers with the Scott Police Department “attempted to stop Hebert from fighting but he continued to resist and began cursing and yelling while continuing to punch and kick,” Leger said.
The officers were able to detain Hebert after taking him to the ground.
School safety officers are security personnel employed by the Lafayette Parish School System. They are not uniformed police officers.
Hebert was arrested and booked into the Lafayette Parish Correctional Center on charges of interference with the operations of an educational institution, disturbing the peace, resisting an officer with violence, and battery of a school teacher.
As of Thursday morning, he remains in jail.
Hebert will be disciplined based on the Lafayette Parish School System’s student code of conduct.
A spokesperson for LPSS said the school board would be releasing a statement about the incident later today.
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