KATY, Texas (Covering Katy News) - The Katy School Board is seeking answers about the March 25 fight, caught on video, in a Taylor High School classroom where a much larger male student beat a girl. School Board President Victor Perez added the subject to this evenings agenda.
At tonight's meeting, the board will hear a presentation from administrators on the Katy ISD Discipline Management Plan related to "fighting/physical contact/assault." Following the presentation, board members will ask administrators questions about the brutal 61-second attack, videotaped by students with audible gasps from those witnessing the takedown.
"Oh my God," one female student is heard repeatedly saying as the fight played out during the last week of March.
One question board members may ask is why they were not immediately made aware of the fight by administrators.
The fight began with both students on their feet with the boy, a football player, throwing punches at the girl, before he tackled her to the classroom floor. The 15-year-old girl spent the rest of the time attempting to escape, tugging his hair and using her legs in futile attempts to flip the boy off her body. One male student tried to separate them as events unfolded.
A source with knowledge of the incident said the girl suffered a black eye and numerous abrasions and required a trip to the hospital.
The school board discussion comes as nearly 2,700 people have signed a petition demanding that Katy ISD be held accountable. The petition's headline says "Enough Is Enough: Demand Action from Katy ISD to Protect Our Students." The petition is posted here.
"This was my daughter in the video getting pummeled by a boy who outweighed her by 100 pounds," the girl's father wrote. "Your daughter could be next," he added.
The male student is a member of the Taylor football team, and some parents feel he's getting special treatment because he's an athlete. The girl's father says the boy has a history of discipline problems.
"There are other families out there trying to file stay-away orders on this boy, but the school (James E. Taylor High School) will not let them."
The school district says it can't reveal whether that claim is valid because the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act prevents them from doing so.
"How can they have our kids' best interest in mind when they are only worried about their football program and covering their own ass," the father posted online. "Now is the time if we want change. It might not be easy, but change never is. Let's get it done before it's too late."
District administrators also say FERPA keeps them from revealing what, if any, punishment has been handed out to the boy or the girl, and that the fight videos lack full context because they don't reveal what happened before the altercation.
Also Read our first story on this issue: Katy ISD says viral video lacks context
"We remind the community that the video lacks full context and encourage respect for the privacy of all involved to ensure everyone's safety," the district said in a written statement.
But when the father sought additional context through a public information request, the school district declined and asked for the Texas attorney general to rule on whether the district has to comply with his request to turn over "all documents, video, and/or photos relating to any incident occurring on 3/25/25 for which Katy ISD Police were called."
The meeting begins at 4pm, with the school board going into closed session before the open meeting resumes. See the agenda here.
Coincidentally, the growing community outrage over the school district's handling of the issue comes on the same night that the school board, during closed session, will "discuss and consider the superintendent's annual evaluation and contract."