Huntsville school assault: Male student assaults 12-year-old according to mom; says police won't take report
Huntsville mother says her daughter was beat up at middle school
A Huntsville mother is demanding answers after she says her daughter was beat up and put into the hospital by a fellow student at her middle school.
What we know:
HUNTSVILLE, Texas - Hailey Evans says that on February 14, her 12-year-old daughter was assaulted by a fellow male student at Mance Park Middle School in Huntsville.
The altercation was caught on video. We blurred the video because everyone in it is a minor, but if you watch closely you can see the quick movements as Evans explains what she sees.
Evans says that day she took her daughter to the emergency room where she was diagnosed with a concussion. FOX 26 verified this through medical records.
Evans says she also asked to file charges with the school resource officer.
"I was told I could not press charges, it was mutual combat," she said.
Dig deeper:
According to Texas Penal code section 22.06, consent can be used as a defense to assault charges. This is widely known as ‘mutual combat’ in the state of Texas.
The code says 'the victim's effective consent or the actor's reasonable belief that the victim consented' can quash charges of assault, aggravated assault and even deadly conduct under certain circumstances.
Most interpretations of this code are applied to adults, not children.
Evans says she also called Huntsville Police, who referred her back to the school resource officer.
"They had the resource officer call me and I had a 16-min conversation about how it's mutual combat and not assault," she said.
The other side:
FOX 26's Abigail Dye emailed Huntsville ISD asking a range of questions - including clarification on whether the resource officer said this.
The email follows:
Hello,
I am inquiring about an incident that happened at Mance Park middle school either February 13th or 14.
We're told a male student broke a female student's phone and then assaulted her. I have a few questions.
1.) Do you have this incident documented, and can you share the nature of that documentation? What were the events?
2.) Were the police called during this incident? Did they take a report? Why or why not?
3.) Is it true that the officer on campus told the female student's mother to not file a report because this was 'mutual combat'?
4.) Was there any resolution/punishment given to the male student? What is the punishment? Is he still on campus?
5.) Was the female student offered medical attention on campus?
I am also interested in having these questions answered on camera if someone is available. My cell is below, thank you.
The district did not address the question of the officer's correspondence with Evans, but replied with the following email.
It reads:
Huntsville ISD Statement on Mance Park Middle School Incident
Huntsville ISD can confirm that an incident involving a physical altercation between two students occurred at Mance Park Middle School on Friday, February 14, 2025.
Following a thorough investigation by Campus Administration and School Resource Officers, appropriate disciplinary actions will be taken in accordance with the district's Student Code of Conduct. Due to student privacy laws, we cannot provide additional details about this specific incident.
The safety and well-being of our students remain our top priority. Huntsville ISD is committed to maintaining a safe and respectful learning environment.
What they're saying:
Evans says she wants to see the school take the matter more seriously.
"I just hope it doesn't get to the point that someone is seriously injured or something bad could happen because they won't take accountability," she said.
The Source: Mother of female student, medical records, Texas Penal Code and Huntsville ISD