Nationwide — Carlos and Precious Starks, African American parents of two daughters from El Paso, Texas, have pulled their teenage daughters out of Pebble Hills High School after repeated racial harassment reportedly escalated into a violent cafeteria fight. They say the incidents left them questioning whether school officials could keep their daughters safe.
The military family had recently moved to El Paso when the girls enrolled at the school. According to Atlanta Black Star, Starks said her daughter Brooke began experiencing racist remarks from classmates in several classes. The harassment was particularly difficult in one classroom where Brooke was the only Black student. On October 16, the situation worsened when students allegedly threw objects at her, with some narrowly missing her face. Brooke confronted the student she believed was responsible and reported the incident to her teacher.
The couple says the family expected school officials to address the harassment after Brooke reported what happened. However, she said she believes the school failed to take meaningful action. Three days later, Brooke and her sister, Taniya, were involved in a physical altercation in the school cafeteria. Precious said another girl approached Brooke and punched her in the face without warning. Taniya stepped in to defend her sister, and the confrontation quickly turned into a fight involving multiple students. Video of the October 19 incident later spread across social media.
The mother also raised concerns about how the school handled the aftermath. She said a school officer told her she could press charges against only one student, the girl who allegedly threw the first punch. The officer reportedly described another student seen in the video slamming Taniya, who was wearing red, to the ground as someone attempting to restrain her. Starks disputed that explanation and questioned the school’s decision to give the students involved in the fight in-school suspension. The punishment allows students to remain on campus in a supervised room rather than attend their regular classes.
With concerns about her daughters’ safety, they decided to withdraw both girls and homeschool them. “I felt like it was the best decision to withdraw my daughters. I fear for their safety at that point,” Precious said. She also expressed disappointment that no school administrators or office staff contacted the family after the fight to check on the teenagers. “You have to hold people accountable. You have to be voices of the victims,” she added.
The Socorro Independent School District responded after Starks made the situation public, saying student safety remains a top priority. The district said administrators follow established procedures and school policies when addressing reported incidents. However, officials cited federal student privacy laws as the reason they could not discuss the students involved, disciplinary decisions, or specific details of the cafeteria fight.