FRISCO, Texas — Two North Texas high schoolers were recently arrested for 3rd-degree felony after hitting and injuring another student, according to the Frisco Police Department.
Officers took two Lone Star High School students into custody for injuring an individual with a disability, police say. On Wednesday around 2 p.m., Frisco Police were made aware of an assault that occurred at Lone Star High School on Tuesday.
A couple of miles from the high school is a Premier Martial Arts studio, owned by Mike Vaughn. He is also the head instructor.
"We teach a variety of classes from adults all the way down to three and four-year-olds," Vaughn said.
While Vaughn has always had an interest in martial arts and created his first program in 2000, he has since added a bully-proof workshop to his studio in Frisco for children of all ages.
"Self-defense to us, whether it's mental or physical, is very important," Vaughn said. "I don't think we stress it enough or teach it enough in society as itself."
RELATED: Two Frisco high schoolers arrested after hitting, injuring student with disability, police say
Mike Vaughn's bully-proof workshop is a one-day event that he encourages parents to stay and be a part of. This is separate from his weekly martial arts training, which all still focus on preventing bullying and defense.
"It's just like muscle memory," Vaughn said. "The more you do it, the more you're going to learn, the more it's going to stick with you."
Based on a 2019 study from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, about 20% of students in grades 9-12 reported being bullied at school in the 12 months prior to the survey.
Vaughn said it's important to acknowledge and accept that bullying will never completely go away or disappear. That's why he believes it's important for parents to encourage parents to teach their kids to be kind, courteous and respectful. And then if students find themselves in a situation where they are being bullied, that student knows the best ways to de-escalate the situation.
"It's not possible to prevent bullying," Vaughn said. "It's always going to be there. The issue is how you deal with it. If you got a report of bullying, make sure it's all documented from start to finish. Keep a good paper trail. Report to everybody you can."
Vaughn also said that the Internet and social media can make the impact of these bullying situations even worse than without it.
"Back in the old days, it was one-on-one or three or four people, one showing off to being the bully," Vaughn said. "They got one or two that they're bullying. Nowadays, it goes out to everybody. Everybody sees it. That is a big issue because it can be an extreme detriment, especially to our middle schoolers and high schoolers that are at the very important age where they're developing their mental capacities and their brain functions."
In terms of the recent viral video, the Frisco Police Department's school resource officers have been working with officers and also identified the suspects as juveniles that attend the school.
“The Frisco Police Department has made it clear that school safety is a priority," Frisco Police Chief David Shilson said. "Criminal behavior will not be tolerated, and all persons involved will be held accountable. Our department continues to work closely with Frisco ISD to maintain campus safety and protect all students and faculty.”
Frisco ISD also sent a letter to Lone Star parents and students about the bullying incident:
I am writing to let you know that our campus administration has taken swift action in response to a disturbing incident that occurred in a boys restroom. A video that shows a student assaulting another student was captured by bystanders and has been shared widely on social media.
Following the incident, our campus administration immediately began an investigation and reported it to the Frisco Police Department. I can now share with you that the law enforcement investigation has resulted in the arrest of two students. The linked document provides further details from police:
Frisco ISD and Lone Star High School do not tolerate bullying, harassment or physical violence of any kind, especially when it involves our most vulnerable students. School disciplinary consequences have also been or will be assigned in accordance with the Frisco ISD Student Code of Conduct and the Texas Education Code for the students involved in this incident. As with all situations like these that are especially egregious, all students involved will be held accountable for their conduct to the maximum extent possible.
Please know that we are committed to providing a safe learning environment for all students. While this particular restroom was being monitored by staff at the time of the incident, we are taking the additional step of having all restroom entrance doors propped open during the school day, effective immediately. This will allow restrooms to be more easily monitored by our staff while still maintaining student privacy.
We are incredibly thankful for a supportive community that cares about our students as deeply as we do. We appreciate all those who have assisted with the investigation and allowed us to respond in a thorough and timely manner.
Thank you for your continued support,
Keith Tolleson
Principal