Cheerleaders at a high school in Texas suffer first-degree burns after a “punishment” imposed by their own coach.
The eighth-grade head cheer coach at Evans Middle School in Lubbock forced the team to perform “bear walks” and “crab walks” on an outdoor track in scorching heat Wednesday.
“We told her our hands were burning and she said she didn’t care,” one of the cheerleaders said. All Lubbock. “He made us go down to the track.”
The girls claim they were punished after cheering at a school soccer game that the coach deemed “disrespectful” and didn’t want them to do.
Eighth-grade cheerleaders at Evans Middle School in Lubbock, Texas, suffer first- and second-degree burns after a ‘punishment’ imposed by their own coach
Their coach forced them to take the punishment after the team performed a cheer at a school football game that the coach considered “disrespectful” and did not want them to do.
The girls’ parents said they were threatened with their future in joy if they did not complete the laps around the fiery track.
He allegedly demanded that the girls get on the ground before making them crawl and crab-walk for a full mile, which is four full laps around the track.
Some of the girls were unable to complete the punishment and stopped after two laps due to pain. Some even became physically ill.
When Angel Thompson, mother of one of the cheerleaders, asked her daughter how her day at school was, the high school student left her things in the car, went to sit down and responded, ‘Mom, do you want to know how it was?’ my day? Was he happy?
He proceeded to show his mother his hands, which were covered in blisters, Everything Lubbock reported.
When a parent went to the school that afternoon to check the track temperature, he noticed it reached a whopping 125 degrees.
The girls were forced to perform the exercises for one mile, that is, four laps around the track, but some girls stopped at the second due to pain; some even became physically ill.
Some of the girls complained that it hurt, but their coach responded that ‘she didn’t care’ and made them continue
At least one of the girls had to be transferred to the University Medical Center to be treated in their burn unit.
The parents also told the outlet that their coach allegedly threatened the girls’ future careers if they did not comply with the cruel and unusual punishment.
Although some of the girls were examined by the school nurse, a call was never made to inform their families of the injuries.
Instead, the cheerleaders went home, where the parents finally realized the nightmare of their day.
The cheerleaders ended up returning home with first- and second-degree burns, and at least one had to be treated in the University Medical Center burn unit.
‘It was malicious. “It was intentional,” said the mother of one of the girls.
Angel Thompson, one of her mothers, became emotional in an interview as she recalled how her daughter got in the car after school and showed her mother her burned and blistered hands.
The coach, who is also a teacher, was placed on administrative leave, but the parents have opened an investigation with police and expect criminal charges to be filed against her.
The teacher has been placed on administrative leave, but the parents have opened a police investigation and expect criminal charges to be filed.
Lubbock ISD released a statement after the incident, saying, “We are heartbroken by these events and the safety and well-being of our students is our top priority.”
‘This type of incident does not reflect the standards or values of Lubbock ISD and Evans Middle School.
‘We want to express our deep concern and regret for the pain and distress this has caused to students and their families.
‘No child should be harmed in a learning environment and we are fully committed to ensuring incidents like this do not happen again.
“Our goal is to maintain a safe, respectful and supportive environment for all students.”