A 31-year-old woman has been arrested and accused of an "inappropriate relationship" with a student, New Iberia Police say.
Hailey Marie Gros (31) was booked with indecent behavior with juveniles, jail records show, and has bonded out.
A release from NIPD states that the investigation centered on an incident that occurred on May 17.
We've reached out to the school system for more information, and here's what they sent us:
Iberia Parish School District has been made aware of the arrest of one of our part-time elementary school employees for alleged indecent behavior involving juveniles. The individual was immediately placed on inactive status and we are fully cooperative with law enforcement as they conduct their investigation. The School District is conducting its own investigation as well.
The safety and well-being of our students is our highest priority. While we are limited in what we can share due to this ongoing investigation and privacy laws, we want to assure our community that we take these allegations very seriously.
We are committed to maintaining a safe and supportive learning environment for all students.
We encourage anyone with relevant information to contact our local law enforcement or Oliver Winston at (337) 365-2341.
The victim's grandmother, Nicole, who requested her face not be shown to protect her grandson’s identity, said the situation had been unfolding since January, that "at the time, they had no proof" and just let it go.
Friday night, Nicole said her grandson went missing from her home.
“I called my daughter, reached out to her, and she and my other daughter started pinging his phone,” Nicole said. “They finally located it — his phone popped up at a motel in Broussard.”
Following the discovery and a police investigation, Gros was arrested. The Iberia Parish School System confirmed that she has been placed on inactive status immediately following her arrest.
The school system said it is conducting an internal investigation and remains in full cooperation with law enforcement.
When asked about her grandson’s current condition, Nicole said:
“My grandson is in a mental institution in Shreveport, Louisiana. This is a sick, individual teacher who has failed the system—failed the school system. Justice will be served, I don’t care how long it takes. I will stand behind my grandson all the way through this."
