DENVER (WSVN) — Police in Colorado are investigating after a disturbing video showed a girl being forced into splits during cheerleading practice, Fox 31 reports.
A mother of one of the cheerleaders turned over video, showing her daughter being pushed down into splits by the new cheer coach, as fellow teammates held her arms up.
The video shows the teenager crying out in pain, begging the coach to “please stop.”
Three days later, the girl’s mother, Kirsten Wakefield, took photos of her daughter’s bruises from the practice.
Wakefield said she notified school officials back in June, but no action was taken. Parents have sent complaints to school administrators and the coach for months, with several students saying they were forced into splits in the same manner, KUSA reported. Now Denver police are investigating the incident as possible child abuse, according to Fox 31.
Denver Public Schools Superintendent Tom Boasberg sent a letter to parents of students at East High School, saying principal Andy Mendelsberg, assistant principal Lisa Porter, cheer coach Ozell Williams, assistant cheer coach Mariah Cladis, and DPS deputy general counsel Michael Hickman have all been placed on leave during the investigation.
“We absolutely prohibit any practices that place our students’ physical and mental health in jeopardy,” Boasberg wrote. “We do not and will not allow any situation in which a student is forced to perform an activity or exercise beyond the point at which they express their desire to stop.”
Warning: the video below may be disturbing to some viewers.
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