Katy ISD Police are investigating an alleged hazing incident in which a number of varsity cheerleaders from Morton Ranch High School staged a mock “kidnapping” of junior varsity cheerleaders and tossed them into a swimming pool.
Katy ISD Communications Director Kris Taylor confirmed the school district police department is investigating the incident, but said it was too early to draw any conclusions.
“We have an investigation under way,” Taylor said. “At this point, we are actively looking into it, but we don’t know how long it will take to pull everything together.”
Complicating the issue is the fact that the cheerleaders involved are attending a cheerleading camp this week at Texas A&M University in College Station. District police officers are taking statements from those involved.
Taylor said the investigation will determine if a crime or violation of the student code of conduct occurred. If the incident rises to the level of what state law defines as hazing, criminal charges could be filed. Beyond that, Taylor said, a violation of the student code of conduct could lead to district disciplinary action against those involved.
Even though the incident did not occur on school property or at a school function, the students’ actions could be covered by the district’s extra-curricular code of conduct.
According to reports, the varsity cheerleaders went to the homes of their junior varsity counterparts last Friday morning and “kidnapped” them as a part of a traditional initiation. The younger cheerleaders had their hands and mouths bound with duct tape and thrown into a swimming pool.
The parent of one of the junior varsity cheerleaders lodged a complaint with the district later in the day, triggering the investigation.
Names of those involved have not been released, and there were no reported injuries.
Under state law, hazing that does not result in “serious bodily injury” is a Class B misdemeanor.
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