MANVEL, Texas — Brutal beatdowns are becoming all too common on school campuses across the Houston metro area, leading to suspensions, and in some cases criminal charges.
"My child was not protected," said Nicole Hinton.
Hinton's daughter Madison Lofton, and her niece Emori Everette, were attacked after a track practice at Manvel High School. The attack was caught on cellphone video.
"What happened to us shouldn’t happen to other people," said Lofton, a sophomore at Manvel High School.
Both students were arrested and charged with assault after they said two adult women, who they didn't know, showed up to fight on campus during after-school hours.
"I saw her rush my cousin, and my point of view is I’ve never seen you before, I don’t know who you are and now you’re trying to attack my cousin so I have to defend my cousin," explained Lofton.
Those actions led to outrage at Alvin ISD's handling of the incident.
"If these children were there for practice and then you have trespassers coming onto the campus and assaulting children, then that's a problem," said community activist Dr. Candice Matthews.
"I was brought to Brazoria County Jail, and then after, I just was in a holding cell for about a couple hours," said Everette who is a junior at Manvel High School. "She (Loften) went to juvenile and was held overnight."
"They are embarrassed. They’re humiliated. They haven’t slept," Hinton said.
Alvin ISD released the following statement on the incident:
On February 27, 2024, following an after-school track practice at Manvel High School, an altercation occurred involving several current and former students. In response to the disturbance, two of our coaches intervened immediately to diffuse the situation and promptly notified the Police Department for assistance.
The altercation escalated, resulting in physical assaults on the participants as well as our coaches. Consequently, all involved parties were charged with Assault Causing Bodily Injury and subsequently arrested. Per the Alvin ISD Code of Conduct, such behavior warrants mandatory placement in an alternative educational setting (ADAPT).
In Alvin ISD, we take the safety and well-being of our students seriously, and we condemn any form of violence or disruption, whether on or off-campus. While Alvin ISD Police Officers are routinely present during athletic events, it's important to note that this incident occurred after practice rather than a game, and our officers were patrolling in a different area of the property at the time.
"Normally when you get into a fight you are not being placed in the positions that we were placed in, and I just feel like that’s unfair," said Everette.
Data from the Texas Education Agency shows a steady increase in school fights across the Houston area in the last six years.
Nearly 14,000 fights were reported during the 2022-2023 school year, leading to suspensions and, or alternative school placement.
Jeremy Rosenthal, a juvenile defense attorney with the Texas Defense Firm, said school districts can operate within their own discretion.
"Not all situations at a school though have to result in an arrest," said Rosenthal.
He went on to explain, "I mean somebody shoves somebody in the hallway and it's not a big deal. I mean, there's no law anywhere that says that everybody has to go to jail and get alternative school."
As for how a juvenile can go about having criminal charges removed from their records?
"The good news here is that all juvenile records are, by law, confidential and sealed, and so you do have a right to a trial, you do have due process rights within that system, but going to the alternative school, that’s the law," said Rosenthal.
As for Ms. Hinton's case...
"I want the laws changed and the rules and regulations changed," she said. "You definitely dropped the ball because you had no one there protecting them."
In addition to the criminal charges, both students had to spend 45 days in an alternative school.
Their family can appeal the charges. They have lawyered up and are taking legal action against the district.