The parents of a Rockwall high school student are suing three teachers over a punishment workout in cheerleading class they say landed their daughter in the emergency room, according to a lawsuit shared with KERA News.
It comes just months after a parent filed a similar lawsuit alleging her son and at least 26 others were diagnosed with or showed symptoms of rhabdomyolysis after a workout punishment levied by the school’s football coaches in 2023.
"Something needs to be done," said Mike Sawicki, the plaintiffs' attorney. "Because otherwise, it looks like more kids at Rockwall-Heath are going to get hurt before the district does something about it."
Rockwall ISD did not respond to KERA's requests for comment.
According to the latest suit, three Rockwall-Heath High School cheerleading teachers made their students do 50 burpees modified to include push-ups in class in October because they were unhappy with the students’ performance. A student identified as E.H., a junior at the time, was allegedly hospitalized for exertional rhabdomyolysis a week later as a result.
E.H. wasn’t feeling well and had a doctor’s note excusing her from exercise, according to the lawsuit filed by Robert and Misty Hanvey. A student incident report referenced in the filing indicated she had strep.
Still, teachers made E.H. do the burpees, saying more punishments would be added if they weren’t done correctly, the parents allege.
"One hundred percent honest with you, she shouldn't have been working out that day," Rockwall-Heath English teacher Amanda Jones — one of the three teachers leading the cheer class — was quoted in the suit as saying.
The incident report, according to the lawsuit, stated E.H. was “visibly in distress yet Coach Jones yelled at her to finish.”
E.H.’s arms started hurting while she exercised, and when she told her teachers about the pain, they told her to take pain medicine and stretch, the suit states.
The next day, she felt progressively sore, and her arms were swollen. She couldn’t lift her arms, felt exhausted and her mother had to help her dress and eat, according to the suit.
Then E.H. started having nose bleeds and saw blood in her urine, the suit states.
Rhabdomyolysis occurs when damaged muscle tissue releases proteins and electrolytes into the blood with the potential to damage the kidneys. E.H.’s doctor found her blood creatine kinase levels were dangerously high, and emergency room doctors administered IV treatments.
After a six-month appeal process, the Rockwall ISD Board of Trustees allegedly concluded they didn’t have enough evidence to reimburse E.H.’s parents for her medical expenses, which her parents requested.
Another teacher, Kaley Stewart, allegedly told district investigators she had no training on rhabdomyolysis, and it was Jones who ordered the punishments.
"I was frankly shocked when I read that," Sawicki said. "Of all the schools in the area to not have done this reflects that the district didn't really take what happened in the football case very seriously."
The third teacher, Ryleigh Valladarez, said it was the students’ idea to assign burpees as punishment, according to the lawsuit.
A Rockwall ISD investigation found the teachers violated at least five different district policies. The district report also found the burpees may have contributed to E.H.’s diagnosis and states the coaches lack training and knowledge on rhabdomyolysis.
Stewart resigned in November 2024, shortly after the district’s investigation began, and Jones and Valladarez resigned last month, a week after the investigation finished. The teachers did not respond to KERA's requests for comment.
The 2023 workout punishments led to the resignation of head football coach John Harrell and multiple lawsuits against him. Two were settled for an undisclosed amount, according to Sawicki.
The most recent suit against Harrell was closed in Rockwall County and refiled in Dallas County solely on behalf of a hospitalized football player. Rockwall ISD required the plaintiff — the student's mother — to go through the district's internal appeal process before making her claims in civil court, Sawicki said.
The Texas Education Agency is also investigating Harrell for the football incident, he said. The TEA confirmed in an email to KERA News Harrell is under investigation for alleged misconduct but said the agency couldn't comment further.
Got a tip? Email Toluwani Osibamowo at tosibamowo@kera.org. You can follow Toluwani on X @tosibamowo.
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