The parents allege the teachers used excessive physical exercise as punishment, causing the girl’s injury.
HEATH, Texas — The family of a Rockwall Heath High School cheerleader is filing a lawsuit against three former teachers at the school, alleging that they employed excessive physical exercise as a form of punishment, which resulted in their daughter needing hospitalization.
It’s not the first time the school has been linked to cases of rhabdomyolysis involving student athletes.
“[The family] was quite surprised that it even occurred once more. If you’re going to do something without learning from it, it suggests you’ll continue committing the same error,” stated attorney Michael Sawicki, who represents the student and her family.
The lawsuit claims that the three teachers instructed the cheerleading class students to perform 50 modified burpees, including push-ups, due to dissatisfaction with the students’ efforts. As a result of the punishment, one student reportedly developed exertional rhabdomyolysis, a condition caused by muscle breakdown from overuse.
“She had a note from the doctor saying no exercise today because of her condition…and still made her do it,” said Sawicki.
The lawsuit states that the girl had not been feeling well on that day and had a doctor’s note excusing her from physical exercise due to strep throat, but the teachers reportedly demanded she still perform the punishments, threatening that if they weren’t done, more would be added.
“One hundred percent honest with you, she shouldn’t have been working out that day,” one of the teachers reportedly said, according to the lawsuit.
The lawsuit recounts one incident report written by a student in the class, which stated that the girl was visibly in distress, but one of the teachers yelled at her to finish.
“We’re gonna start seeing these breakdowns more often,” said Dr. Matt Chalmers of Chalmers Wellness. Matt specializes in sports medicine. “I put [rhabdo] up there with concussions because it can be really really bad really fast,” he said.
Chalmers tells WFAA that there is a strong chance these cases rise because of a number of recent factors. He says coaches are working in highly competitive environments, and children in this generation are getting less nutrition in their diets and not recovering fully from lack of sleep.
“You want their coaches to push them as hard as they can but you want to do the recovery regeneration off the field,” Matt said.
During a district investigation, one of the teachers reportedly told investigators she had no rhabdomyolysis training and blamed another teacher for ordering the punishments, according to the report.
“I know things are different now,” one of the teachers reportedly wrote to investigators. “In hindsight, I would not assign [the punishments] again.”
The teachers implied they weren’t responsible for ordering the punishments, the lawsuit adds, and claimed it was the students who came up with the idea.
Rockwall ISD found the teachers’ actions violated at least five separate district policies, according to the lawsuit.
The lawsuit further alleges that the three teachers had a history of using intimidation and threats to motivate the students, and the students knew that failing to do the exercise or not following instructions could affect their position on the team.
When investigators raised concerns about reports that the teachers bullied students, used retaliation, and made them cry, the lawsuit states one of the teachers told them, “That’s kind of coaching, right?”
The girl was reportedly unable to lift her arms the day after the punishment and felt exhausted, the lawsuit adds, and her mother had to help her dress and eat. After she started having nosebleeds and found blood in her urine, her mother took her to her pediatrician, according to the lawsuit.
Tests by the doctor reportedly found the girl’s blood creatine kinase levels were dangerously elevated, the document details, and ER doctors later diagnosed her with exertional rhabdomyolysis. She was then hospitalized, and doctors began IV treatments to prevent damage to her kidneys. The breakdown of muscle fibers into particles can cause longer-term damage to the kidneys and heart.
When the parents of the girl took their concerns to the Rockwall ISD Board of Trustees, the lawsuit states, the board reportedly concluded they didn’t have enough evidence to support the parents’ request for reimbursement for medical expenses.
“The Board of Trustees, despite the fact this is the second time teachers at Rockwall Heath High School have caused Rhabdomyolysis injuries to their students, took no other reported action,” the lawsuit alleges.
Rockwall ISD declined to comment on the current status of the coaches, what discipline was taken, and whether training for athletic coaches would be implemented.
“Due to federal and state law protections, the District is unable to disclose or discuss confidential student information. Additionally, it is not the District’s practice to disclose information with regard to personnel in consideration of state law protections,” the district said.
A former Rockwall Heath High School football coach resigned in 2023 after multiple student-athletes were hospitalized with rhabdomyolysis. Two parents told WFAA their children were forced to do 368 push-ups during their athletic period, leading to their hospitalization. That coach is currently being investigated by the Texas Education Association.
The lawsuit against the three cheerleading coaches accuses them of gross negligence. The parents are seeking exemplary damages to deter the same type of conduct in the future, the lawsuit states, including damages for the physical pain and suffering caused, mental anguish, and medical expenses.
