PLAQUEMINE — St. John School principal Jessica Major was fired from her job today. In a letter to parents, Father Martin Lawrence said Major will ‘conclude her administrative service to the school effective October 21, 2025.’ It comes less than a week after UWK learned she was placed on administrative leave.
The letter says the school plans to start the search for a new principal soon, and hopes to announce the new principal before the end of the school year. The letter also said, “Kim Mengarelli, a member of the Catholic Schools Office staff and seasoned principal, will serve as the interim principal until Thanksgiving break, with a permanent interim principal in place for the remainder of the school year.”
According to sources, Father Lawrence called Major into the office today and let her go. UWK has called and texted Father Lawrence, but he has not responded to our messages.
PLAQUEMINE — Parents at St. John School in Iberville Parish say they’re frustrated and demanding answers after their principal, Jessica Major, was placed on administrative leave more than a week ago and no one will tell them why.
The decision, made by Father Martin Lawrence, has left families at the Plaquemine Catholic school in the dark. The only public explanation so far has come from a brief statement, where Lawrence cited “confidential personnel matters” and urged patience.
“We can’t get any answers”
But parents tell UWK they’ve received no further updates.
“The priest is not answering anybody’s emails with anything but a generic, ‘I can’t talk about this. This is a personnel matter’,” one parent told UWK under the condition of anonymity.
Nearly 100 parents met Monday night to share frustrations and seek answers.
“We can’t get any answers. The priest won’t talk to anybody,” said G.W. Son, who has a child at the school. “He’s canceled every kind of meeting the school’s supposed to have because he doesn’t want to be hemmed up and asked what’s going on.”
Major was placed on leave Oct. 7, and as of this week, parents say they’ve received no official explanation from the priest or the Diocese of Baton Rouge. The Diocese confirmed Major is on leave but declined to comment, citing their personnel policy. Calls to St. John’s were forwarded to Assistant Principal Lisa Morel, who said she could not comment and referred inquiries to the Diocese.
“We are handling the situation thoughtfully”
In a written statement to families, Father Lawrence said personnel matters were confidential but that the situation was being handled “thoughtfully and with care for everyone involved.” He added that the school’s focus remained on providing a “stable, supportive and quality learning environment” and promised to provide more guidance “in the coming days.”
Thank you for reaching out with your concerns. I understand that you may have questions regarding the recent leave of our principal.
While personnel matters are confidential and cannot be discussed publicly, please know that we are handling the situation thoughtfully and with care for everyone involved. Our focus remains on providing a stable, supportive and quality learning environment for all students.
We will be sharing more information with families in the coming days to provide clarity and guidance. Thank you for your patience, understanding, and continued support of our school community.
Fr. Martin E. Lawrence
St. John School
Parents tell UWK that guidance has not materialized. “Basically, he is not being forthcoming with any information,” a parent told UWK. “He told people, ‘When I tell y’all what Mrs. Major did, y’all might understand.’ We’ve been going on this for seven days and we have no answers. Basically, they feel that they don’t have to give answers.”
When contacted by UWK this week, Father Lawrence said he could not comment further but expected the matter to be “resolved next week,” and confirmed that Major is aware of the situation.
“I did send out a message last week to (parents), but I could not talk about it,” Father Lawrence said. “The Diocese also responded to one of the parents this morning, so word should be getting around.”
Parents point to priest’s online activity
What’s frustrating parents even more, they say, is that Lawrence has been posting online during the controversy.
“The priest is commenting on people’s Facebook posts that say, ‘If you only knew the truth,’ and he’s liking those posts publicly. Then he’s saying the parents are the problem,” a parent said.
One post read: “95% of all private school problems/issues are parents. Change my mind!” Lawrence reportedly replied to that post, “Totally agree!”
When asked about that comment, Lawrence admitted it was inappropriate. “It was late at night and I was in a weak moment and very tired and said, ‘I agree,’ he told UWK, acknowledging that it was inappropriate and he shouldn’t have made the post. He said he plans to reach out to parents again “very soon,” but did not specify when.
Who is Jessica Major?
Major was hired as principal at St. John’s in May 2025 after serving as principal at Port Allen Middle School. The school celebrated her appointment in a social media post calling her “a highly respected and accomplished educator.”
She’s a recipient of the prestigious National Milken Educator Award and was named a 2020 Louisiana Principal of the Year semi-finalist. She holds a master’s degree in Curriculum and Instruction from Grand Canyon University, a bachelor’s in Elementary Education from LSU, and a Superintendency Certification, according to that social media announcement.
UWK reached out to Major for comment but did not receive a response.
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