Nine-year-old hospitalized with severe brain injuries after gym altercation at Texas elementary school
Child airlifted to Texas Children's Hospital after being slammed to the ground during a dispute over a basketball, mother says
A nine-year-old boy was hospitalized with severe brain injuries after another student allegedly slammed him to the ground during an argument over a basketball inside a Texas elementary school gym, the boy's mother said.
The confrontation occurred around 1:30 p.m. on Friday in the gymnasium at Samuel Walker Houston Elementary School, according to the boy's mother, Jenna Heniser. Heniser told local station Click2Houston that the dispute escalated after several students wanted to use a basketball another child was holding. She said the other student attempted to "sling" her son several times and kicked at him before the final blow.
Heniser said school staff responded and her son was taken first to a local hospital and then airlifted to Texas Children's Hospital in Houston. A CT scan showed "severe swelling" of the brain, she said. Medical staff sedated the child and at one point lifted him from sedation to check whether he would respond to verbal commands.
By Monday, Heniser said doctors had performed an MRI on the boy's leg and spine. He is able to walk but continues to feel dizzy and is afraid to return to school, his mother said. Heniser has filed a report with Child Protective Services and has requested that the school provide surveillance footage of the incident.
Heniser told reporters that teachers were in the gym at the time of the incident. In a message to parents obtained by Daily Mail, the school district said the situation "was handled quickly and with the safety of all students in mind" and that staff followed established safety protocols to allow normal school operations to continue without disruption. The district, citing student privacy laws, said it would not release further details about the incident.
The boy's mother described seeing her son sedated and on a ventilator as traumatic and wrote on Facebook that she did not wish the experience on anyone. Daily Mail reported it contacted Heniser for comment.
School officials have not released additional information beyond the statement to parents and the privacy-related refusal to provide further details. Authorities and the district did not immediately provide public medical updates or comment on any disciplinary actions.
The incident has raised questions among the family about on-campus supervision and safety procedures. Heniser has asked the district to make surveillance footage available to help clarify what happened. The district's letter to families reiterated that student safety, health and well-being remain a priority but did not address the family's requests.
No arrests or charges have been publicly reported in connection with the incident, and the district said it could not disclose further information because of laws protecting student records and privacy. The boy remains under medical care as doctors continue evaluations and monitor his recovery.