Superintendent Byron Lyons, superintendent of Bienville Parish Schools, has been placed on leave pending an investigation. 

During a special meeting Tuesday afternoon the board voted 5 to 2 to place Lyons on leave with pay for up to 90 days. The board initially met in executive session before taking the vote. Darren Iverson and Oswald Townsend voted against the investigation while Sharolyn Boston, Derrika Bailey, Martha Grigg, Colton Guin and Donald Calloway voted in favor of it. 

Child Welfare and Attendance Supervisor LeRoy Hamilton was appointed as acting superintendent by the board.  BPSB also hired Baton Rouge attorney Brandon DeCuir to conduct an investigation.

Lyons was in attendance at the meeting with his attorney, Brian Blackwell. Lyons did not speak in the course of the meeting. 

If the board decides to remove the superintendent, it will have to present Lyons with formal written charges and provide him with a 20-day notice. Lyons will then have 20 days to respond prior to a hearing. 

Lyons was selected as superintendent in December 2023 after the board chose not to renew the contract of its former superintendent, William Wysinger. There were four candidates for the position at the time. 

The School Board approved Lyons’ employment contract in January 2024.