CITY OF KATY (Covering Katy News) – The father of a teenage girl beaten in a Taylor High School classroom by a much larger male student spoke to the Katy ISD school board Tuesday night, expressing his deep frustration that the school punished his daughter after the incident was labeled mutual combat.
"How can anyone at a school feel safe where a clear case of assault takes place, yet the school decides to re-label it as mutual," said Danny Gianfrancesco.
The case has riled the public after student videos surfaced showing the takedown of Gianfrancesco's daughter, who was left pinned to the floor, a black eye and a trip to the hospital.
When it came time for punishment to be assessed, Gianfrancesco said he discovered that Katy ISD's discipline policy was not favorable to his daughter.
"The (Discipline Management Policy) states that if a student is physically confronted by another student, the individual should avoid striking back and find an adult or administrator who can handle the situation."
"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 statement to media.
At Monday's meeting, the board heard a report from Sherry Ashorn, director of student affairs for Katy ISD. She said the district punishes any children involved in a fight. Self-defense is only an acceptable excuse if the victims can prove they cannot escape.
School board President Victor Perez, who was responsible for putting the issue on the board meeting agenda, believes the district should revisit that policy, wanting more information on self-defense.
"I think it would be useful to add the definitions of things like self-defense to your presentation," Perez said to Ashorn.
"Nobody should be punished for fighting back," said speaker Rebecca Trahan during the public comment portion of Monday night's meeting.
Perez says he wanted a briefing on the district's discipline policies so the board and the public could see if any changes are needed to better respond to situations like the one at Taylor High School.
"Just to give the community more information about this discipline management plan," he said.
Perez frequently stresses parents' right to know, and he made that point again on Monday night.
"Parents have questions and concerns," he said.
Monday night, the 15-year-old Taylor freshman's father was perhaps the district's most concerned parent.
"If that video did not exist, I would be just another father without a platform," Gianfrancesco told the board.
With Monday night's briefing on the district's discipline policy, it's clear that a further review is coming with self-defense being a big part of the discussion. Perez asked for an report on assault cases in the district, flagging cases that could be labeled "self-defense" to determine whether the policy needs updating.
"It's so important that we provide a safe learning environment, not only from outside threats but threats from the inside," he said.
Read our previous coverage of this issue: Story #1 | Story #2