A former Riverdale High School teacher and football coach was sentenced to five years in prison after pleading guilty to molesting a 16-year-old student he had taught and coached, according to court records. Phabion Woodard, 28, of New Orleans, admitted to molestation of a juvenile while in a position of control or supervision, a charge that carried a maximum sentence of 40 years behind bars.
Judge Shayne Beevers Morvant handed down the five-year sentence, according to court records cited by NOLA.com. As part of the resolution, the Jefferson Parish District Attorney's Office dropped a separate charge of indecent behavior with a juvenile that had been filed against Woodard. He will also be required to register as a sex offender for 25 years after his release from prison, per court records.
Woodard was hired at Riverdale High School in August 2023 to teach sociology and coach football despite having no prior teaching experience or an undergraduate degree in education, according to federal court filings reviewed by GovInfo.gov. Before entering the classroom, he had played as a Division I offensive lineman for the Tulane Green Wave in New Orleans, having signed with the program in February 2016 out of Gentry High School in Indianola, Mississippi, according to Tulane University Athletics.
How the Abuse Unfolded, According to Court Records
Court records state that Woodard contacted the victim through social media and sent her graphic and lewd messages and images in 2023. Federal civil filings in a related lawsuit went further, alleging that that December, Woodard pulled the student out of class and brought her into his empty classroom, where he kissed her without consent following the earlier social media messages, per the filings reviewed by GovInfo.gov. Authorities say he also inappropriately touched the victim without consent at school that year.
The abuse came to light after the victim confided in a friend, who informed one of the victim's relatives. That family member then reported the incidents to school officials, according to court records. The Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office opened an investigation, and Woodard was arrested in January 2024.
A Long Road Through Two Court Systems
The criminal case moved slower than the initial arrest suggested. Woodard was released on bond the day after his arrest before facing a formal grand jury re-indictment in late August 2024, according to WWL-TV. Meanwhile, the victim's parents pursued a separate federal civil lawsuit against the Jefferson Parish School Board and district leadership. In November 2024, a federal judge dismissed the Title IX civil claims against individual defendants, ruling that the law does not permit individual liability against Woodard or District Superintendent James Gray, court filings show.
Under Louisiana Revised Statute 14:81.2, juvenile molestation committed by an adult in a position of supervision or control carries a mandatory minimum of five years in prison without benefit of probation, parole, or suspension of sentence, according to Justia Law. State law also bars Woodard from earning any diminution of his sentence for good behavior while in custody, per Louisiana Revised Statute 15:537 as published by the Louisiana State Legislature. Separately, under Louisiana Revised Statute 17:8.7 and State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education rules, his felony plea triggers automatic permanent revocation of his teaching credentials and a lifelong prohibition on school employment, according to Louisiana BESE.
A District Under Scrutiny
Riverdale High School, located in Jefferson, Louisiana, serves around 1,000 students in grades 9 through 12 and offers an International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme, according to the school's own description. It is part of Jefferson Parish Public Schools, the largest public school system in Louisiana, which operates more than 70 schools and serves over 46,000 students across the metropolitan region, per Ballotpedia.
The dismissal of the individual Title IX claims leaves open questions about how a district of that size vetted an uncredentialed hire for a classroom and coaching role, and what oversight exists statewide for teachers without education degrees. Those questions remain unresolved even as the criminal case against Woodard has reached its conclusion with his five-year sentence and lifetime bar from Louisiana classrooms.
