Covington student pleads guilty to October 2021 attack on teacher, supposedly part of Tiktok challenge

COVINGTON, La. (WGNO) — A 19-year-old woman will serve prison time after attacking an elderly teacher at Covington High School last year.

On Wednesday (Sept. 21), Larrianna Jameese Jackson pleaded guilty as charged to second-degree battery and cruelty to the infirmed in connection to the October 2021 attack, which was recorded and posted to Tiktok. While detectives believed the attack was part of the viral “Slap a Teacher” trend, they were never able to confirm Jackson’s motive for the attack.

In the viral video, 18-year-old Jackson, a student at the school, and the 64-year-old teacher are seen engaged in an argument at the teacher’s desk. That’s when Jackson is shown grabbing the woman by her hair and punching her, causing her to fall to the ground. As the video progresses, Jackson continues to punch the teacher while she’s on the ground.

The teacher sustained a concussion during the attack, along with neck trauma, a fractured rib, a sprained wrist, and heavy bruising to both arms. A chunk of hair was ripped from her head and her doctor reports she was “one step away from a detached retina.”

Following the attack, Jackson was interviewed by St. Tammany detectives wearing the same clothes she was wearing in the video with her hair styled the same way. Although denying that the attack happened, Jackson was taken into custody.

The teacher presented a statement on how the attack had changed her life for the worse. Read her full statement below.

After hearing the victim’s statement, Judge Richard Swartz sentenced Jackson to a total of 10 years (five years for both charges) of hard labor at the Department of Correction. That sentence was reduced down to one year in prison, three years of supervised probation, and required anger management and mental health counseling. The victim was granted a lifetime protective order against Jackson.