Marrero, Louisiana -- Joey Lehrman, a 22-year-old English teacher at Higgins High School in Marrero has been arrested after students allegedly found him masturbating in the classroom.
According to Jefferson Parish deputies, three students and one teacher observed Lehrman masturbating in the classroom Wednesday. The alleged act occurred at about 8 a.m., according to the Sheriff's Office arrest report.
Lehrman was questions by deputies who say he admitted to unbuttoning his pants and applying lotion to his stomach. He then admitted to applying lotion to his genitals, but stated that he did so because of a medical condition. Later, he allegedly admitted to masturbating, according to the arrest report.
Many parents, who picked up their children at the school on Thursday were angered at hearing the news, stating that they were unaware the incident had taken place.
"If I would have known about it, my son wouldn't be coming to school," said parent Roy Ashworth.
Another parent, who was also unaware of the incident, said the school did a poor job of notifying parents about the arrest. She learned the news only after receiving a text message from her daughter about it. She was asking to come home early because she had heard rumors that a teacher had exposed himself to a female student.
Lehrman was booked into the Jefferson Parish Correctional Center on a charge of obscenity. He was released late Thursday after posting a $5,000 bond.
School spokesperson, Beth Branley, said that the school system does not have a written policy in place to notify parents because incidents that require notification happen infrequently. She also stated that the system's collective bargaining agreement, along with state and federal regulations, prevent it from disclosing certain personnel matters.
