Concerns over alleged 'fight culture' in Weiss High School's baseball program

AUSTIN, Texas - There appears to be a culture of fighting caught on camera at a high school in Pflugerville. 

Now, a mom is looking to clear her son's name after one of those fights.

Mother speaks out

What they're saying:

A Weiss High School mom is looking to clear her son’s name after a fight on campus in April.

Pflugerville native Katie Khabbaz says the school handed out equal punishments for both students, but she believes her son was only defending himself.

"He can't get away," Khabbaz said. "Everybody is laughing and cheering, including the other student. I don't know if you noticed the smile on his face the entire time."

For months, Katie Khabbaz has replayed a chilling video she received of the fight involving her son.

At the beginning of the video, her son, a freshman at the time, gets punched in the face by another student.

"He was doing the thing that would be safest. Like let me restrain him, let me put, let me get myself in a position where I'm not going to continue to get punched," Khabbaz said. "The school viewed that as him engaging in combat."

Throughout the video, Khabbaz’s son tries to wrestle the other student to the ground, never throwing a punch in return.

But the school issued equal punishments for both students: 30 days in disciplinary school for "mutual combat."

"He just said, what am I supposed to do? This had been going on for so long," Khabbaz said.

Khabbaz says the problem started months before inside the locker room.

"It’s a program-wide culture of bullying, picking on freshmen," Khabbaz said.

Last season, her son had just started his first year on the JV baseball team.

One of his locker mates, the same student who punched him, allegedly started making threats, and it wasn’t long before equipment started going missing.

"A brand-new bat that was his Christmas gift that in February went missing," Khabbaz said. "And he called me from the team bus on their way to a tournament one morning in tears."

The bat was eventually found after Khabbaz sent complaints to coaches but feared her son had become a target.

"Once this happened, and he was labeled a snitch, then he was fair game," Khabbaz said. "Everybody could pick on him."

Khabbaz says the baseball program has had its share of turnover since the school opened in 2017.

"The one constant has been the assistant coach, who is the one that's in the other video that you have, the classroom video," Khabbaz said. "And he has, over the time there, just developed this culture of we don't snitch, we handle our disagreements with physicality."

Khabazz says videos show players fighting with the assistant coach allegedly looking on without interference.

Pflugerville ISD responds

Pflugerville ISD gave FOX 7 Austin a statement:

"We are aware of the incident, and it is currently going through our grievance process, so we are unable to comment on it at this time. But our administration and board are aware of it, and we are working through the process."

What's next:

Khabazz believes the school failed to hear her son.

"He did everything that we teach our kids to do. Go to your coach, report it, go to a teacher, go to your principal," Khabbaz said. "Every time the adults failed him."

The family has filed an appeal with the school to try and expunge their son’s punishment.

They are set to meet with the Pflugerville school board in a private meeting this week.