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ST. GEORGE — The parent of a former Desert Hills High School cheerleader, kicked off the team for a separate incident, says they came forward to the St. George Police Department with information about an alleged hazing incident after fearing an improper response from the Washington County School District.
The parent, along with school district officials, provided additional insight into the incident, which allegedly involved the bare buttocks of several older cheer squad members coming into contact with the faces of younger teammates. Given the sensitive nature of this story, as well as the fact that juveniles are involved, St. George News is respecting requests for anonymity.
During a public meeting of the Washington County School Board Tuesday, district Communications Director Steve Dunham said further investigation into the incident uncovered that “a disgruntled parent” had used video footage of the incident to make a “series of threats and use intimidation against other parents of team members.” The individual’s daughter was reportedly facing disciplinary action for an unrelated incident.
According to a formal statement sent to St. George News from Travis Christiansen, the attorney representing the parent, no threats have been made toward school officials or anyone else relating to the incident, nor were the videos used as leverage to have their daughter reinstated on the cheerleader squad.
“While I was working with the principal and the athletic director with the disciplinary action of my daughter, I discovered the hazing situation by accident,” the parent told St. George News.
According to the statement, the parent supports the decision to suspend their daughter from Desert Hills High School Cheer Squad “for her involvement in the hazing incident in June 2019 with other DHHS cheerleaders.”
