The school said that parents reported their students needing medical attention and/or hospitalization during the team’s offseason program.
HEATH, Texas — The head football coach at Rockwall-Heath High School has been placed on leave after multiple parents reported that their students needed medical attention and/or hospitalization during the team’s offseason program.
In a letter to parents on Tuesday, the school explained the situation surrounding the varsity football team.
The school said that on Friday, Jan. 6, student-athletes in the eighth period athletics class with coach John Harrell “were required to perform multiple push-ups.”
And then on Monday, the school learned that several parents reported health issues that their children were facing. Some of the cases required hospitalization, according to the school.
“Please know the District immediately implemented measures to address the situation and provide support for our students,” the school said in the letter.
The school said Rockwall ISD has hired a third-party to investigate the situation and any possible connection between the reported illnesses and the activities in that class.
Coach Harrell was also placed on administrative leave amid the investigation, the school said.
According to the school, the campus athletic trainer reviewed the symptoms the students were facing and that student-athletes should contact the trainer if they feel the following:
Other symptoms include lack of urinating, abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, confusion, lethargy or loss of consciousness.
“Student safety is a top priority for Rockwall ISD and we will continue to take immediate and appropriate measures in the best interests of our students as we address the situation,” the school said in the letter.