A Louisiana high school student was stripped of her title as student government president and ruined her chances of getting a college scholarship after footage surfaced of her “twerking” at a homecoming afterparty.
Kaylee Timonet, 17, was seen in the video laughing and gyrating with her friends from Walker High School, but Principal Jason St. Pierre didn’t see the funny side and allegedly told her she didn’t live “that way.” of the Lord”.
In response to the party, St. Pierre stripped her of her title and refused to continue helping her secure a college scholarship, a move that sparked widespread backlash.
“I just started crying hysterically,” Kaylee told UWK. “They basically told me to be ashamed of myself and that they were worried about my afterlife if I basically didn’t follow God’s ideals, which made me cry even more.”
Kaylee Timonet, 17, said she was “crying hysterically” after her title as student government president was stripped and her chances of getting a college scholarship were ruined after a video surfaced of her at a homecoming Afterparty twerking
The teenager was seen laughing and “twerking” with her friends at the private party and when she was first confronted with the footage, Kaylee said she “didn’t think anything of it”.
Timonet was seen celebrating the neon event with her friends in the video, which was recorded by a DJ and shared on social media
The school’s principal, Jason St. Pierre, reportedly condemned the teen for not “living the Lord’s way” when he handed down his harsh punishment
Many noted that the shots appeared innocuous, showing Kaylee dressed in bright neon colors while dozens of other teens danced around her.
Kaylee was beaming from ear to ear as she waved her arms in the air and frolicked with a friend, acting like many would expect at a homecoming party.
Outraged locals in St. Pierre have criticized his aggressive response to the video, with many comparing him to dance-hating characters in the movie “Footloose.”
The Livingston Parish School District told The Advocate it planned to investigate the situation but declined further comment.
Timonet had applied for two prestigious college scholarships recommended by St. Pierre and was excited to attend the private party celebrating her senior year.
The teenager also maintains a 4.2 grade point average, teaches local children and was recently recognized as an outstanding volunteer in Baton Rouge.
But her mother, Rachel Timonet, claimed there was still scholarship paperwork to fill out, so Kaylee thought she would be called to school on Oct. 3 after the party.
But Kaylee was stunned when she was ambushed by angry teachers who told her that “they didn’t want her to represent Walker High School,” her mother, Rachel, told The Advocate.
“He told her that she wasn’t living the Lord’s way and asked who her friends were and if they were following the Lord… She said she didn’t know how to answer that and they said it was a yes- or no question.” By now she’s sobbing.’
Rachel claimed that his religious zeal even saw St. Pierre print out Bible verses and highlight passages to make his point.
In addition to losing her role as student government president and potentially losing her college career, the teenager was most devastated when she learned she was also no longer eligible for Student of the Year.
“She’s been working toward this her whole life,” the mother said, saying she reacted with anger when she learned of the harsh punishment.
“She said she really felt like there was nothing wrong with the video, but at that point she really felt like a complete failure.”
After being scheduled for her “twerking,” Kaylee said, “I’ve been a dancer my whole life and I just like to have fun…I felt like my life was over.”
Her mother, Rachel Timonet, spoke out after the incident and called for justice for her daughter. She said the teenager felt like a “complete failure”.
The talented teenager had a 4.2 grade point average, taught local children and was also Beta Club president, but was so distressed by the punishment that she had to leave school in tears
The attempt to severely punish the teenager was met with widespread backlash, with locals having rebellious T-shirts and badges printed with the words “Let the girl dance.”
At the center of the scandal was a meeting that Kaylee was dragged into by school administrators after the video emerged of which Rachel said she was angry because she wasn’t invited.
Kaylee said she was called into the office at the start of the day at 7:30 a.m. Oct. 4, but dismissed it as normal because her role as student government president meant she was summoned regularly.
But she was taken aback when confronted with anger over her partying, and said she was also particularly upset because “student government is the best thing that happened to me in high school.”
Footage of the neon-themed event was captured by the private party’s DJ, DJ Savage, and posted on social media. Both Kaylee and her mother said they saw the video before it was shared and “thought nothing of it.”
“I’ve been a dancer my whole life and I just like to have fun…I felt like my life was over,” Kaylee said.
“All I’ve worked for since I was little was always working really hard in school.” My main goal has always been to become Student of the Year and at least have a chance at it.
“I work very hard in class. I’m stressed about everything and I’m also Beta President, so I still have a lot of things on the line that I could lose… it was a shock.”
After worrying about returning to school if people would have a “negative opinion” of her because of the video, Kaylee said the support of her classmates “means the world.”
The Livingston Parish School District said it plans to investigate the situation at Walker High School (pictured) amid the backlash
Kaylee said she was so distraught over the punishment that she had to leave school because she cried too much.
She was afraid to go back to school because she thought people would have a “negative view” of her after the video, but said she saw an outpouring of support from her classmates instead.
“The video was not inappropriate at all,” she said. “I was just so afraid that people would hate me after that. So it means the world to see that people definitely supported me and that my accomplishments were still noticed.”
After her daughter returned home in tears, Rachel said she stormed into school the next morning and got into a hostile argument with St. Pierre, who told the mother he was defending the appropriateness of his actions .
“I told him at the pep rally that the dances they do at their competition are way worse than what Kaylee did,” Rachel added.
“If you want to be unfair to my child, there were other people dancing in that video who were on the dance team and nothing happened to them.” He said she was punished because she was the “jewel” of the school.
She added that the question of whether religion was at the center of the scandal upset her because she believed Kaylee “should not be questioned or talked about faith at all.”
“It’s a public school, not a private school.” “He has no right to talk to my child about any religion.”
“We’ve been hosting homecoming and prom after-parties for years.” It’s a place where kids can have fun and dance. I was physically there myself with other parents.
“I was physically there watching her do it. “If I had thought it was inappropriate in any way, I would have corrected my child,” Rachel added to WAFB.
Locals in Walker expressed dismay at the harshness of the principal’s response, printing out rebellious T-shirts and badges that read “Let the Girl Dance.”
Kaylee defiantly maintains that “the video was not at all inappropriate,” and many have criticized the principal for focusing the argument on religion
Residents of the Louisiana town also expressed anger that the teen was punished, and a local Facebook group, What’s Going On In Walker, was flooded with similarly angry sentiments about her treatment.
“If I were their parent, I would hire a lawyer,” said one, who felt the clients had clearly “overstepped the boundaries.”
“They said it was an after party and not at school,” said another. “So no. He had no right to even approach this girl about the dance. And what happened to freedom in the USA?’
Many protested St. Pierre’s insistence on bringing religion into the dispute, as another resident said: “It’s supposed to be a PUBLIC school, how are they going to throw religion into that?”