A Texas family is demanding answers after their seventh-grader came home from school with second-degree burns on her hands — reportedly from a punishment for laughing in class.
Caldwell Junior High’s Caydence Wilson suffered the burns at the high school, and her mother, Chloe Couch, shared her daughter’s injuries in a social media post Sunday morning.
The mail was quickly shared by people disturbed by what they saw, with some images incredibly difficult to watch.
KBTX spoke to both in depth about what allegedly led to the burns, as the school issued a statement claiming it was investigating.
During the sit-down, Couch claimed she was not called or informed of the situation, even after Caydence asked school staff if she could call her to take bandages home.
Caldwell Junior High’s Caydence Wilson (left) suffered the burns in high school, and her mother, Chloe Couch (right), shared her daughter’s injuries in a social media post Sunday morning. The pair later spoke about the burns in an interview trial that day
The post was quickly shared by people disturbed by what they saw, with some images incredibly difficult to look at.
“She tried to contact me, and it wasn’t until she was on the bus home that she sent me pictures of the oozing blisters,” Couch said of her daughter’s injuries, which are already a financial burden on the shoulders of the family have laid. Caldwell family
“I’m a single mother of three,” she said. ‘So I live paycheck to paycheck and make sure I can make ends meet as best I can for my children.
“I can’t afford medical bills and medications and bandages that we have to apply every four to six hours for the pain.”
Joining Caydence, the mother recalled the harrowing hospital visit she and the child endured after the girl’s softball coach allegedly forced her to do bear crawls on a sweltering hot field.
“Having to stand next to her in the hospital and not being able to hold her hands because there were second-degree burns on both hands — I couldn’t hold her hands and she was screaming and screaming — it was tragic,” Couch remembers.
She mentioned the local police and said, “I hope they are notified.”
Appearing stone-faced, the mother added: “(I hope) nothing happens to other children because I would hate for it not to be taken care of and for someone else to be as seriously injured as Caydence .’
KBTX spoke to both about what allegedly led to the burns, as the school issued a statement claiming it was investigating
During the sit-down, Couch claimed she was not called or informed of the situation, even after Caydence asked school staff if she could call her to take bandages home.
Caydence also spoke about the alleged incident, recalling the punishment that caused her to spend about seven hours in the hospital, where they cleaned the wound, anesthetized it and tore off the damaged skin.
Caydence also spoke about the alleged incident, recalling the punishment that caused her to spend about seven hours in the hospital, where they cleaned the wound, anesthetized it and tore off the damaged skin.
When asked for a rating, she categorized the pain as a 10 out of 10, a discomfort she still feels days later.
“I felt my hands start to heave and burn,” the girl said, recalling the alleged bear crawl under the hot Texas sun.
“I felt the blisters burning on my hands,” she recalled, wearing bandages on her hands as alleged evidence.
She did not name the coach who she said handed out the punishment, telling KBTX, “I told her (the turf burned me), and she said, ‘You’re doing fine. You’re almost done. Just keep going.’
“But I wasn’t really close to done yet,” Caydence continued. “So I went ahead and got on my knees because I felt the blisters pushing and popping.”
Still, she said, “(the coach said) something like, ‘No, you’re doing fine. Keep going.’
“I felt my hands start to heave and burn,” the girl said, remembering the bear crawling under the hot Texas sun. “I felt the blisters burning on my hands,” she recalled, wearing bandages on her hands as alleged evidence
Couch went on to recall the harrowing hospital visit she and the child endured after the girl’s softball coach allegedly forced her to do bear crawls on a sweltering hot field.
When asked if she felt the school was to blame, the youngster said: “I feel like there could have been an end to what happened to me, and I could have just done what I love most without getting hurt’
But she and her mother say all was not well, citing not only the second-degree burns suffered, but also the associated – and excruciating – pain.
Caydence said of the burning sensation she felt before and after the blisters burst: “It was a burning pain, excruciating, it felt like a knife was being stabbed into my lower hand.”
When asked if she felt the school was to blame, the youngster said: “I feel like there could have been an end to what happened to me, and I could have just done what I love most, without getting hurt.’
The Burleson County Sheriff’s Office, meanwhile, confirmed it is investigating the incident as the family considers taking legal action against the school district.
The taxpayer-funded entity known as the Caldwell Independent School District issued a vague statement about the incident when Couch’s Facebook post started trending online.
“Caldwell ISD is aware of the Facebook post that circulated early this morning,” they told KBTX, as neither they nor police named the employee accused of the alleged violation.
“We take reports of incidents very seriously and are actively investigating the matter in accordance with our established protocols and procedures,” the update continued.
“We can be assured that appropriate action will be taken based on the outcome of our investigation.”
“I’m a single mother of three,” Couch added of the financial burden Caydence’s injuries have placed on the family. “So I live paycheck to paycheck and make ends meet however I can for my children.” She said she doesn’t believe their apology and is now considering legal action
During her interview, Couch said she feels the statement is disingenuous and doesn’t mean much to her or Caydence.
In the meantime, both investigations are reportedly ongoing, after Caydence said the incident happened after she and a friend were laughing in one of their classes.
The principal told them that they would be taken into custody and that they would then inform their softball coach of the situation. A round of 100 squats followed, as well as the aforementioned bear crawls.
DailyMail.com has contacted the district for comment.