Students suffer burns after baseball coach orders bizarre drill, Oklahoma families say

School officials and law enforcement are investigating after several Oklahoma high school students suffered burns to their hands during baseball practice, news outlets report.

Parents called the Deer Creek School District in Edmond shortly after the Sept. 26 practice, when at least five students were left with second-degree burns, KFOR reported. One of the children required treatment from a hand specialist, the station reported.

The students’ families say they were injured during a drill, ordered by their coach, to drag their knuckles across hot turf, according to the outlet.

Head coach Roland Baza has since been removed from his coaching position at Deer Creek High School, KOTV reported.

A parent said the exercise was a punishment drill, though it’s not clear what the punishment was for, the station reported.

The district has not confirmed what the drill entailed, but it did send out a letter apologizing to parents, The Oklahoman reported.

“While we believe the intent was not to harm our baseball student athletes, the primary focus for our district is the safety, well-being and development of our students now and in the future,” the district said, adding that it “will begin the search for a new head coach in coming weeks.”

The Oklahoma County Sheriff’s Office is also investigating the incident, the newspaper reported.

As of Oct. 3, Baza was listed as a “history teacher/coach” on the district’s website.

McClatchy News reached out to Deer Creek, asking if Baza is still employed by the district, but it did not immediately respond.

Edmond is a suburb of Oklahoma City, roughly 15 miles north of the city’s downtown.