Attorney: Bossier teacher used cell phone during gym classes for 'lascivious purpose'

The Bossier Parish School system has hired a team of outside counselors and scheduled a community meeting following a Benton Elementary school teacher's arrest for allegedly raping and inappropriately videotaping children at the school.

Bossier Schools Superintendent Scott Smith and Grady Bray, a psychologist with the Little Rock, Arkansas-based firm Disaster Management International, spoke during a press conference Saturday about the district's efforts to provide resources to families.

Wednesday, Benton Elementary physical education teacher Aubrey "Perry' Norcross was arrested and charged with video voyeurism of a student.

Friday, Norcross was charged with allegedly raping a different student on the elementary school's campus. He's being held at the Bossier Maximum Security Facility on $900,000 bail for both charges. He is on unpaid administrative leave.

An attorney for one of Norcross's child accusers said Saturday that the P.E. teacher recorded students with a phone for a "lewd and lascivious purpose."

Smith urged parents, teachers, staff and others to call (318) 773-5146 to speak with trained, professional help or to schedule an appointment regarding the allegations about Norcross. A community meeting regarding the allegations against Norcross will be held at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 23, in the Benton High School gym.

"The Gingerbread House personnel, the sheriff's office and our support teams will be there to answer your questions and help all of us work through this very difficult time," Smith said.

Bray, the outside psychologist, said numerous families have met with his team of outside counselors, who are based at Benton Middle School to work alongside staff. The team consists of six counselors but could increase in size if needed, he said.

Bray also offered families advice on how to talk with their children about the allegations against Norcross. He advised families to frame the discussion about their family's beliefs.

'You have to be very careful about how you talk to your children," he said. "You start on the foundation that you have already built ... Don't be afraid to talk to your children. Children are very resilient. We need to give them credit for what they can do."

A sign of sexual abuse, Bray said, could include a return to bed-wetting if a child was previously a bed-wetter. 

Members of the Bossier Parish Sheriff's Office were present but did not speak during the conference.

The sheriff's office has released few details about its ongoing investigation of Norcross. Lt. Bill Davis, department spokesman, said the investigation of the teacher began after a family member of a student made a report.

F. Edward Mouton, an attorney representing one of the victims, emailed a victim statement to The Times Saturday outlining some of the allegations against Norcross.

The family of a victim was called into a Bossier Parish Sheriff detective's office Wednesday to review material obtained from Norcross' phone as well as school surveillance footage. 

'It is apparent from the recordings that Aubrey Norcross was using his cellphone during gym class to record the child, without the child's knowledge, for a lewd or lascivious purpose," the statement reads.

The child has shown "distress and emotional trauma" since Norcross's arrest. The child does not know that he or she is the victim of this incident, according to the statement.

Benton Elementary Principal Amy Gates and Smith contacted the family shortly after they met with detectives to express feelings of "hurt and outrage," the statement reads.

"The Bossier Parish school family is committed to ensuring our students receive every, every form of support that we can provide them right now," Smith said.

Norcross previously coached the school’s archery team. The sheriff’s office and school district have said Norcross had not previously been investigated or disciplined by the district for inappropriate contact with students.