HOUSTON – Two students from Kashmere High School say their gym teacher not only hit one of them in the head with a tennis racket but also back-slapped and bit them.
On Monday, the parents of the two students said they are not only upset with what happened, but they’re even more frustrated because no one from the school or the Houston Independent School District has reached out about the situation.
The parents allowed their children to speak exclusively to KPRC 2 News.
Jose Ramirez, who says he was bitten, said he now has to take antibiotics to prevent a leg infection.
Jose Garcia says he suffers from constant headaches after the gym teacher lost his cool and attacked them over a tennis ball.
“I was screaming and nobody was helping me until I looked at him (Garcia) and he literally had to fight the teacher for him to like get off of me,” Ramirez said.
The two best friends are in the 10th grade at Kashmere High School, but both say they won’t be going back after being attacked by the teacher.
“A ball went to us and it hit the wall under the bleachers and he thought we had it,” Ramirez said.
The boys said the teacher then became angry and started physically attacking them.
“He was like, ‘do you want me to come and take it from you.’ And I was like, ‘I don’t got it.’ Then he just came up to me and started yanking on my clothes,” Garcia said.
The boys said the teacher then backslapped Ramirez when he tried to intervene.
“I was like, ‘hey, you can’t do that.’ And he just looked at me dead in my eye and just… wham,” Ramirez said.
Ramirez said he tried to defend himself, but then the teacher picked up a tennis racket and started swinging.
“At first I thought he tried to throw it at him so I grabbed the tennis racket and it hit me right here (over the eye) and everything went black and I just saw little white dots,” Garcia said.
Ramirez said the teacher started chasing him with the racket until they both fell, but says the rage was far from over.
“Out of nowhere he’s just hugging on my leg, he had it like this, it wasn’t even like a straight tooth bite, it was sideways and he was shaking his head and everything,” Ramirez said.
Garcia said he had to punch and kick the teacher to stop the biting.
The boy’s parents provided a picture they say shows the fresh bite mark and another picture where you can also see what appears to be a bite mark on the sweatpants he was wearing.
“The thing is, he did that like while being at work. You’re supposed to act professional,” Ramirez said.
The parents said they filed a police report with HISD police and want the teacher arrested and fired.
Kashmere high school principal Brandon Dickerson released the following statement Tuesday morning:
“This is an important message for Kashmere HS parents from Principal Brandon Dickerson. Please be advised that a one of our teachers has been temporarily reassigned pending the results of an internal investigation concerning a personnel matter. Due to the pending investigation, HISD will not be providing additional information at this time. Please know that HISD and Kashmere High School value your students and their safety. We will ensure classroom instruction continues without interruption. We appreciate your continued support. Again, this was an important message for Kashmere High School parents from Principal Brandon Dickerson.”