Thirteen cheerleaders suffered first and second-degree burns after their coach forced them to do bear crawls and crab walks around an outdoor track, reportedly measuring over 125 degrees. The air temperature on Wednesday was 95 degrees in Lubbock. The coach and teacher is now on leave while the school district looks into the situation.
Thirteen cheerleaders suffered first and second-degree burns after their coach forced them to do bear crawls and crab walks around an outdoor track, reportedly measuring over 125 degrees. The air temperature on Wednesday was 95 degrees in Lubbock. The coach and teacher is now on leave while the school district looks into the situation.
The middle schoolers claimed that the coach ordered them around the hot track as a punishment after they did a cheer that the coach did not want them to do at a football game. The coach claimed that by deviating from the planned cheer, the team was being disrespectful.
Parents were not notified of their students’ injuries despite many of the girls going to see the school nurse after practice. It is reported that one girl was even taken to the University Medical Center burn unit by her parents following the incident.
According to KAMC, one parent said, “It was malicious. It was intentional,” as she described her daughter’s account of the practice and alleged threats the coach made about the girl’s future cheering careers. Many parents are hoping for criminal charges against the coach.
One cheerleader, whose name has not been included in reporting said, “We told her our hands are burning, and she said she didn’t care, and she made us go back down on the track."Â
According to Everything Lubbock News, the school district released a statement saying, “We are heartbroken over these events, as 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 are addressing this matter with utmost urgency, and are fully committed to investigating the circumstances surrounding the incident. The teacher involved has been placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of this investigation.”
Lubbock ISD has kept the name of the coach anonymous at this time until they are able to determine exactly what happened during last week’s practice.Â
