Texas middle school cheerleaders suffer burns on hands after coach's 'punishment'

Cheerleaders from Evans Middle School in Lubbock, Texas, suffered first-degree and second-degree hand burns after they said their coach punished them by making them perform "bear crawls" and "crab walks" on a hot outdoor track, KAMC-TV reported.

Bear crawls and crab walks involve moving one's body forward with hands and feet on the ground.

One parent checked the track temperature that afternoon and said it was at least 125 degrees.

The 13 girls — all eighth graders — told KAMC they were punished for performing a cheer that their female coach didn’t want them to do. They added to the station that their coach said performing the cheer against her wishes was “disrespectful.”

Angel Thompson, a mother of one of the cheerleaders, told KAMC her daughter told her the cheerleaders "got a punishment, and shows me her hands."

The cheerleaders were told to do the bear crawls and crab walks for a mile, the station said, adding that most weren’t able to continue after two laps due to pain, and that some became physically sick.

The girls said the punishment happened at 2 p.m. Wednesday, KAMC said, adding that one parent checked the track temperature that afternoon and said it was at least 125 degrees.

“We told her our hands are burning, and she said she didn’t care, and she made us go back down on the track,” one of the cheerleaders, who asked to remain anonymous, told the station.

Parents added that the coach threatened the girls’ cheerleading futures if they didn’t complete the punishment, KAMC said.

Some girls went to the school nurse afterward, but the station said parents didn't get calls from the school about their daughters’ injuries. KAMC said at least one cheerleader was seen at the University Medical Center burn unit.

“It was malicious. It was intentional,” the mother of one of the cheerleaders, who asked to remain anonymous, told the station.

KAMC noted that parents are hoping for criminal charges against the teacher and said an investigation with police is ongoing. The teacher was placed on administrative leave, pending an investigation, the station said.

The Lubbock school district confirmed in a statement that it's aware of the "teacher’s disciplinary method that resulted in several students receiving burns on their hands. The teacher directed a group of students to perform 'bear crawls' on the outdoor track, which was heated by the day’s high temperatures. This action resulted in multiple students being injured."

"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," the statement continued.

You can view a video report here about the incident.

Anything else?

Blaze News reported in 2015 about a Texas high school launching an internal investigation after the palms of two students were blistered due to a "bear crawl" gym class punishment. It was reportedly the third time in the space of two months that such an incident occurred in the state.

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