7th grader suffers burns on hands doing exercise as punishment at school, family says

CALDWELL, Texas (KBTX/Gray News) - A Texas family is seeking answers after a seventh grader says she suffered second-degree burn blisters on her hands when her softball coach had her do bear crawls as a punishment for laughing in class.

Caydence Wilson, a seventh grader at Caldwell Junior High School, says the incident happened after she and a friend laughed in one of their classes. The principal told them they would be in class detention for about 10 to 20 minutes, and they would let their softball coach know about the situation, KBTX reports.

Caydence says she had two rounds of punishment from her coach: one round of 100 squats and bear crawls in what felt like 90-degree heat on the turf. It was the bear crawls that she says did the damage to her hands, causing second-degree burn blisters.

“I could feel my hands start to whelp and burn. I could feel the blisters burning on my hands. I told her, and she was like, ‘You’re OK. You’re almost done. Just keep going.’ But I wasn’t really almost done,” Caydence said. “So, I kept going, and I got on my knees because I could feel them push and pop. She’s like, ‘No, you’re fine. Keep going.’”

After the alleged punishment, Caydence says she told another coach about what happened and was given some ice.

The blisters eventually popped, and the seventh grader spent seven hours at the hospital, where they cleaned the wound, numbed it and tore the skin off of it. Caydence says the pain was a 10 out of 10, and she’s still in pain.

“Like burning pain, excruciating, it felt like a knife was stabbed into my lower palm,” Caydence said.

Chloe Couch, Caydence’s mother, shared a post about her daughter’s injuries Thursday morning on Facebook. It was quickly shared, with many people disturbed about what they saw.

Couch says she was not called or made aware of the situation, even after Caydence asked her coaches if she could call her to bring home bandages.

“She tried to reach out to me, and it wasn’t until she was on the bus ride home that she sent me those pictures of those blisters oozing,” Couch said.

The Caldwell Independent School District sent the following statement regarding the incident to KBTX:

“Caldwell ISD is aware of the Facebook post that circulated early this morning. We take any reports of incidents very seriously and are actively investigating the matter in accordance with our established protocols and procedures. Please be assured that appropriate actions will be taken based on the outcome of our investigation.”

Couch says she feels the statement is not sincere, and it doesn’t mean a lot to her or Caydence.

“Having to stand beside her in the hospital and not being able to hold her hands because there are second-degree burn blisters on both hands, can’t hold her hands and she’s screaming and shouting. It was tragic,” Couch said.

“I feel like there could have been a stop to what happened to me, and I could have just done what I love most without being hurt,” Caydence said.

The Burleson County Sheriff’s Office is also investigating the incident.

“I hope that they are made aware and that nothing happens to any other kids because I would hate for it to not be taken care of and for someone else to be injured just as bad as Caydence was, if not worse,” Couch said.

The family doesn’t know when Caydence’s injuries will heal, and it has already left a financial burden on them.

“I’m a single mom of three kids, so I’m living paycheck to paycheck and making my ends meet how I can for my kids,” Couch said. “I can’t afford medical bills and medications and wraps that we’re having to apply every four to six hours for the pain.”

The family is considering taking legal action against the school district.

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