Parents Sue Lubbock ISD Over Cheerleader Incident

LUBBOCK, TX — Legal action has been initiated by a group of parents in federal court today against Lubbock Independent School District for an incident at Evans Middle School in October 2024 when 13 eighth-grade cheerleaders suffered severe burns on their hands due to punishments.

A federal complaint on February 13 describes the incident on October 19, 2024, when assistant coach Ashley Nimry allegedly punished students for performing a wrong cheer routine at a football game the previous night during a cheerleading practice.

The lawsuit alleges that Nimry punished the “red” cheer team squad by making them perform "bear crawls" and "crab walks" on the hot outdoor track. The plaintiffs later measured the track's temperature, which reached as high as 125°. The punishment caused the cheerleaders to have first and second degree burns on their hands, according to the complaint.

The cheerleaders were forced to proceed one mile of "bear crawls" and "crab walks," but nearly all of them could only finish two laps because the pain on their hands had become unbearable.

According to the plaintiffs, when their children informed Nimry their hands were burning, she waved off their outcry and forced them to keep going. More than half of the cheerleaders required medical attention and were taken to University Medical Center after the incident.

However, the parents claim that Evans Middle School did not notify them about their children's injuries. During the investigation, the district put Nimry on administrative leave.

In addition to being a first year assistant cheer coach at Evans Middle School, Nimry was also a 7th grade Reading Language Arts teacher.

Ashley Nimry also posted cheer stretches and jump drill circuits on TikTok but has since removed them and all other social media accounts. 

The legal complaint alleges that students' and parents' constitutional rights were violated. It also asserts that the district “failed to safeguard its students” and “failed to establish adequate protective measures.”

According to the plaintiffs, the school violated its legal duty under 42 U.S.C. §1983 by failing to notify the plaintiffs of what happened and the extent of their children's injuries. The complaint also states that Coach Nimry’s actions were completely unreasonable and malicious.

The plaintiffs claim that it is the school’s responsibility that their children received the injuries because they failed to watch them properly. The parents are asking for damages to cover medical expenses, pain and suffering, mental pain, and reimbursement for educational services.

The case was filed today, Feb. 13, 2024, in federal district court in Lubbock. Lubbock ISD has not had an opportunity to respond. Five students are listed as plaintiffs and all of them are represented by attorney Tej Rashmi-Deep Paranjpe of Houston.