High school dancers suffer 2nd-degree burns during practice, Indiana parents say

Members of a high school dance team suffered second-degree burns after being forced to do bear crawls on an unusually hot September day in Indiana, parents say.

Multiple parents shared photos on Facebook of their daughters coming home from a Warren Central High School majorette practice with large blisters on the palms of their hands

“This isn’t discipline. It’s child abuse,” parent Travis Peagler told WXIN. “These are young girls. They’re not training to be a Navy SEAL or Army Ranger, and even their hands don’t look like that.”

Peagler and Ronnisha Banks said the temperature was in the mid-to-high 80s Sept. 19 when the team had to do bear crawls on the outdoor pavement in Indianapolis.

Banks saidon social media “the surface was clearly way too hot,” and her daughter’s severe burns later prohibited her from bending her hands properly.

“I was livid. I just couldn’t believe it,” Banks told WTHR.

Peagler’s daughter, he told WRTV, was made to do extra bear crawls due to poor grades. It left the freshman wondering if the situation was her fault.

Days after the practice, she remained in the hospital, according to the outlet.

“The past four days have been the most difficult of my life,” Peagler said in a Facebook post, adding that his daughter’s recovery will likely take six months.

Banks shared receipts of emails she received from school principal Masimba Taylor after the practice. Taylor apologized and said bear crawls would no longer be a part of the practice routine.

Still, the families are hoping for more accountability and action taken by the school.

“The school is accountable for what happened and hopefully make some changes to some safety policies and precautions in the future,” Dustin Fregiato, an attorney representing the Peaglers, told WRTV.

In messages shared by Banks, the school’s dance team coach said she was “proud of (the student-athletes’) effort and determination” during that day’s practice. The coach said some students may have come home with blisters, telling the parents it was “never my intention for them to experience pain.”

School officials told news outlets they were aware of the injuries and were investigating what happened.

“The safety and well-being of our student-athletes will always be our top priority, and we remain committed to listening to our students and families as we learn from this incident,” school officials said in their statement.

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