Some of the students - including one girl of just 14 - were left with bloodied and blistered hands after being made to make numerous laps of the track on all fours.
Cascade High School (Ind.) has apologized to parents for the 'inappropriate behavior' of the four varsity track team coaches, who have all been suspended and are being urged to resign. The coaches could be fired for the sadistic punishment.
The harsh penalties were doled out after just 12 students missed track practice at the school last Friday, according to a report on Fox59.com.
Many of the students were left with large blisters and burnt hands after completing their laps at practice on Wednesday. Some were reportedly hospitalized.
The students were told to lean over and lay their hands on the ground, using both their hands and feet to make their way awkwardly around the track without their knees touching the ground.
"They were all black, and these were really red and they hurt even right now," one girl said of her injured hands.
Some parents of Cascade High pupils have called for the coaches to be fired, but many members of the varsity track team spoke out in their defense and said they were appalled to hear of their suspension.
Athlete Matt Shepard, who did not sustain blisters while bear crawling around the track, said the coaches "didn't intend for us to get hurt."
Fellow track team member Regina Solik said: "I don't think there's a single person on this track team that says "I want them fired."
She added that the coaches cared a great deal about the students they train.
The school district has contacted the Indiana Department of Child Services in light of the incident. Assistant Superintendent Dr Jill Jay said in a statement the school did not condone or tolerate such behavior from its employees.
She added that all four members of staff had been placed on paid administrative leave pending the outcome of an investigation into the incident, and that they had been asked to resign from their coaching positions.
No comments:
Post a Comment