Corpus Christi State School: Disabled Student ‘Fight Club’

Texas Governor Rick Perry shut down the Corpus Christi State School after it was discovered that employees forced disabled students into “Fight Club” style boxing matches.  Police say they found video footage on cell phone cameras showing staff members inducing young mentally disabled students of the school into fistfights, shoving the students into each other until a fight would start.

Police are questioning 11 current and former state school employees.  Police say they have not determined if the fights were staged for money, or merely to be uploaded on the Internet.  While the forced boxers were hurt in the staged fights, none of the students sustained serious injuries.

“Workers were staging fight clubs with the residents for their own entertainment. It’s awful abuse – some of the worst I’ve seen in over 30 years,” said Corpus Christi police Captain Tim Wilson said.

Upon Governor Perry’s orders, school officials with the Department of Aging and Disability Services suspended admissions to the Corpus Christi State School installed video cameras at all 13 institutions the mentally disabled in Texas. More security staff will be hired to monitor the video cameras.

The fights were filmed on videos from 2007 to 2009.  Captain Wilson said videos depict “staged events” where residents push, kick and punch, then have their arms raised in victory when they “win.”

Rep. Solomon Ortiz Jr., D-Corpus Christi, said lawmakers have been trying for years to bring light to the state’s poor care for disabled students.   “We’ve been sounding the alarms,” Ortiz said. “Unfortunately, it took a long time to get the leadership of Texas to focus on this issue.”