INDIANAPOLIS — Warren Central High School parents are upset after they said multiple girls on the school’s majorette team suffered burns and serious blisters after being forced to do bear crawls on the track in the heat.

“She was loving the first few weeks of high school, and now she’s not,” parent Travis Peagler said.

Peagler said he couldn’t believe his eyes last week when he picked his 14-year-old daughter, Trinity, up from Warren Central High School and looked down and saw her hands burned and blistered. She told him she was forced to do bear crawls across the scorching hot track during majorette practice. She said she was told to do extra due to her grades.

It happened on Sept. 18 when the temperature was almost 90 degrees. 

“I really just want to know what made you think that that was OK, on the 86-degree, whatever degree weather, day that it was OK to have them doing bear crawls on an asphalt track when it had to be at least over 100 degrees on the track,” Trinity’s mother, Stacey, said.

Photos posted to social media, and shared with the family’s permission, show large blisters along the palms and fingers of the girl’s hands. 

“I’m a former 82nd Airborne Division soldier jumping out of airplanes and all that, trying to air assault. My hands has never looked the way her hands look, period,” Peagler said.

Trinity was taken to Riley Hospital for Children for treatment of what doctors said were second-degree burns on the girl’s hands. The father said the girl is also being treated for heat exhaustion. 

“She remains hospitalized, and doctors have told us her burns will take at least six months to fully heal, with possible long-term effects,” Peagler said in a statement. “Watching her go through this much pain has been heartbreaking for us as parents.”

13News has reached out to MSD of Warren Township for a statement on the event. A spokesperson replied with the following comment on behalf of the district: 

“We are aware of an incident during last week’s dance team practice involving a conditioning drill on the track that resulted in several students sustaining blisters to their hands from the surface. We are taking this matter very seriously, conducting an active investigation, and remain in close contact with students and families to support their recovery. The safety and well-being of our student-athletes will always be our top priority, and we remain committed to listening to our students and families as we learn from this incident.”

“I went through airborne training in the military, and I’ve never seen kids pushed like this,” Peagler said in a statement before speaking with 13News Wednesday evening. “I believe in discipline — I know it builds toughness and character — but this crossed the line from discipline into danger. No child should ever be put in this situation at a school activity. We want answers, accountability and stronger safety measures so this never happens again.”

13News was able to find a police report filed the night the incident happened. It is not clear if any arrests were made or charges filed. 

“This isn’t discipline. It’s child abuse. When you send your kids off to school, you expect for them to come home safe,” Travis Peagler said.

Ronnisha Banks said she’s going through the same trauma with her daughter, who is also a freshman on the majorette team. She shared pictures with 13News of second-degree burns on her daughter’s hands and blisters on her feet.

 “I was livid. I just couldn’t believe it,” Banks said.

The injuries now impacting her daughter in the classroom as well.

“She can’t do school work the way she needs to,” Banks said.

Both families said they’re hoping to bring awareness to these kinds of dangers, and they’re looking for accountability and changes from the school.

“We don’t want to see no parent have to go through what we’re going through right now,” Peagler said.

“When stuff happens like this, we have to stand up,” Banks said.

Banks said she contacted the Indiana Department of Child Services. The Peagler family said they have hired an attorney, but have not filed any formal documents at this time.