Abraham, Watkins, Nichols, Agosto, Aziz & Stogner represents the families of some of Morton Ranch Junior Varsity cheerleaders who were recently victims of hazing at the hands of the Varsity cheerleaders. While some have said the events of the morning of July 25, 2008 have been blown out of proportion, the Morton Ranch Administration has fully investigated the matter. That investigation and subsequent one year suspension of the Varsity Cheerleaders from all cheerleading activities serves as a complete validation and vindication of the JV squad and their stories. We are proud of the JV girls for speaking out against these acts, and hope these circumstances can serve as a springboard to develop programs that help others avoid a similar fate.
There are many organizations, teams and associations who have some level of hazing that takes place, and we believe an educational campaign can save lives. Hazing occurs across the nation involving children as young as fourteen-years-old. For this reason, together with some of the parents of the JV squad, we have requested the Katy Independent School District adopt a formal hazing awareness/prevention educational program to be taught annually to the teachers and coaches of the school district, as well as for students. We would like the Katy Independent School District to be the leader in the nation on this issue, and trust that our collective efforts will make a difference.
Finally, we hope the Morton Ranch High School teachers, administrators, students and parents will work hard to be a community and school where every parent would be proud to send their child. In the aftermath of the events of July 25th, we have observed parents and students not behaving as good community citizens when it comes to the Junior Varsity Cheerleaders. There is clearly one consistent version of events that no one denies — the Junior Varsity Cheerleaders have done nothing wrong. However by reporting the events as they experienced them, by showing the leadership and courage in telling the truth about those events, and even following the complete vindication of these young ladies by the administration’s investigation, they have been subject to comments and conduct that is less than professional, mature, or civil. We believe our future lies in the hands of our children and our community will be a better place to live if we are able to create something positive out of our collective experiences.
For more information on this story, please see http://www.chron.com/ for complete coverage. Additionally, Good Morning America has done some investigative reporting on the incident. To view the story in full, click the link below.