Girl held down after allegedly using cellphone in class
ByJessica Holloway 
Thursday, September 4, 2014
Friends and family protested outside Sam Houston HS after a teen was tackled by police
HOUSTON -- Carrying bright, neon posters and asking supporters to honk, students and parents are protesting outside Sam Houston High School in Texas.
District officials confirm they are reviewing the actions of three school resource officers after students captured controversial cellphone video of a student being held down in a hallway. The student admits she was using her cellphone in class but says the officers were too aggressive. One officer placed a knee on the girl's head.
The student's mother says her daughter weighs 70 pounds and has bruises. She believes the actions were unnecessary. Now she wants other parents to be aware of what happened.
HISD issued the following statement: "The safety of our students at Sam Houston High School and of all our schools is always our absolute top priority. We are aware of this issue and investigating."
Policies vary from school to school, below is Sam Houston's policy.
Possession of Nuisance Devices and Telephones
A nuisance device is any object or item that has no legitimate educational pur-pose and may interfere with the orderly conduct of school business. This includes electronic or telecommunication devices such as radios, digital paging devices (beepers), iPods, compact disk, MP3 players, electronic games, toys, dolls, stuffed animals, balloons, skateboards or water guns. Nuisance devices are not permitted on campus and will not be returned if confiscated by school personnel. Cell phones are permitted, but must be turned off during the instructional class time. They must be in a backpack or a pocket and not visible (whether in use or not). Remember a cell phone is not a watch, so checking the time is a violation. Any phone that is visible, during the instructional class time, will be confiscated and a fee of $15 must be paid before the device will be returned to the parent/guardian, on the 1st offense. A cell phone will not be returned if it is confiscated a 2nd time. (District regulations and disciplinary actions as outlined in the HISD Code of Student Conduct for Level II offenses will be followed.)Copyright © 2024 KTRK-TV. All Rights Reserved.
