SAN ANTONIO -- Some parents are outraged after their kids were punished at school for something they didn't even do. And the parents are calling the punishment physical abuse.
Courtney Coley was one of dozens of 8th graders told to do bear crawls during P.E. class last week. She and others said the entire class was punished for the actions of a few.
"That's what all of us were thinking. We didn't do anything so why are we being punished?" Courtney said.
"I sent my daughter to school to learn and get an education, not to be punished for something she didn't even do," Courtney's father Anthony Coley said.
There were also 7th grade boys told to run laps after one student brought a BB gun to school and spilled BBs all over the gym floor. A lap for every BB, meaning more than 50 laps.
"That type of punishment is completely out of line and should've never occurred," NISD spokesperson Pascual Gonzalez said.
Gonzalez confirmed the allegations and said, not only was the punishment out of line, but it was not fair to punish the entire class.
"Those teachers will be appropriately disciplined, because those calls that they made for group punishment are totally inappropriate," Gonzalez added.
"I was told there might be an apology, but to me that's not enough," parent Eddie Paniagua said.
"Probably a suspension, to send a message that this is not ok behavior," Courtney's mother Deborah Coley said.
The parents that KENS 5 spoke to said other moms and dads are equally upset, but were afraid to go on camera in fear of retaliation toward their children.
"Students who brought this to our attention, or the parents who did, should feel no retribution from the school district," Gonzalez said. "This is exactly what they should've done, was to notify administration so we can take appropriate action."
"That was abuse, it was definitely abuse," Anthony Coley said.
The district said there was one girl who had a panic attack while doing those bear crawls, but she is doing ok. The district also urges concerned parents to contact the school principal if they would like to discuss the incident.
