Topline: Twenty student athletes at a Texas charter school were hospitalized with life-threatening injuries after coaches allegedly forced them through days of non-stop punishment drills over a jersey mix-up — and then tried to cover it up.
Published: April 16, 2026 8:00 am ET
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WACO, TX — Twenty student athletes were hospitalized with a potentially fatal muscle breakdown condition after coaches at a Texas charter school allegedly forced them to perform continuous push-ups for more than an hour without water or rest — over three consecutive days — as punishment for a jersey mix-up, a new lawsuit alleges.
The lawsuit, filed April 10 in Waco on behalf of twelve families by the Cherry Johnson Siegmund James law firm, names Texas Leadership Charter Academy San Angelo and multiple staff members as defendants, alleging child abuse, failure to intervene, and an internal cover-up following the February 2025 incident.
Court documents say approximately 50 student athletes were ordered to complete continuous push-ups for more than an hour with no water or rest while gym doors remained closed. When students cried out or collapsed, coaches allegedly mocked them and ordered them to continue — and the punishment repeated across three straight days.
Coach Bradley Gunhee Oh allegedly led the punishment, monitoring students’ form and directing the exercises from start to finish. Athletic director Kent Sherill was accused of moving among the students and enforcing discipline every few minutes. Coach Emmanuel Serna was accused of pushing children to keep going and berating those who complained of pain. Coach Brandon Richardson allegedly ordered students who had collapsed to stand back up and continue. Coach Stetson Emfinger allegedly watched without intervening. Assistant Principal Robert Wray also allegedly failed to stop what was happening.
By the third day, the pain had become so severe that parents were helping their children eat, dress, and bathe, according to court documents. Students reported feeling intimidated, threatened, and scared. Several minor plaintiffs showed signs of psychological trauma, including nightmares about the coaches, anxiety, fear of returning to school, and depression.
As many as 20 students were hospitalized with rhabdomyolysis, a serious condition in which muscle tissue breaks down so severely it can cause kidney failure and death. One child’s laboratory values were nearly 750 times the upper limit of normal, and that child faced a mortality risk of 30 to 50 percent, according to court documents. Some students required up to seven days of hospitalization. Others face permanent kidney damage, ongoing medical treatment, physical therapy, and long-term restrictions on physical activity. Several minor plaintiffs were referred to nephrology and continue to undergo weekly blood draws, multi-phase physical therapy, and regular medical monitoring.
The lawsuit says students experienced severe muscle pain, loss of arm mobility, dark urine, nausea, and fatigue. A photograph of a student’s hospital urine sample was included in the court filings as evidence.
The lawsuit alleges school staff failed to notify families after the incident and that leadership did not report the abuse to authorities. Instead, hospital staff at Shannon Medical Center reportedly contacted Child Protective Services and law enforcement through routine medical procedure. Court filings claim Curtis Milbourn, TLCA’s head of compliance, directed school officials to delete email communications related to the incidents in an effort to conceal what happened. Coaches were quietly reassigned, and staff were allegedly told to add liability waivers to registration materials.
The suit alleges no TLCA employee filed a report with Child Protective Services or the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services, despite a legal requirement under Texas Family Code Chapter 261 to report suspected child abuse within 48 hours.
Court documents note that TLCA’s own Athletic Student Handbook — prepared by the athletic director and approved by school leadership — explicitly allows physical exercise as punishment. The school’s Student Code of Conduct, however, updated February 26, 2026, states: “Texas Leadership will NOT administer corporal punishment upon a student for misconduct.”
Court filings also name Walt Landers, CEO and superintendent of Texas Leadership Public Schools and board president of TLC Academy, alleging he fostered a pattern of unchecked authority within the school’s athletic program and created “the institutional culture that treated children’s bodies as instruments of punishment.” The filings further allege Landers used the school as a “personal family playground,” employing relatives and concealing incidents of sexual or physical abuse. Landers, who serves as senior pastor at The Life Church, receives nearly $200,000 annually in compensation from TLCA funds. The school receives close to $50 million in public funding from the state of Texas each year, according to the filings.
“This reflects a profound failure to protect student safety — not discipline, but abuse,” attorney Ryan Johnson said in a statement. “These students were pushed to the point of serious, life-threatening injury while the adults responsible stood by and did nothing. This went on for days despite clear signs of distress.”
In a statement issued April 15, TLCA San Angelo said it was aware of the lawsuit but unable to comment on specifics due to pending litigation. The school disputed the plaintiffs’ characterization of a cover-up, saying it was “confident that the facts will ultimately show that Texas Leadership administrators timely reported the alleged misconduct to DFPS/CPS, Texas Leadership has been transparent in addressing this with parents and Texas Leadership is actively cooperating with law enforcement in their investigation.”
The suit seeks damages for medical expenses, pain and suffering, and emotional distress, and aims to deter future misconduct. The case is ongoing.
Presumption of Innocence: A presumption of innocence means that any defendant in a criminal trial is presumed to be innocent until they have been proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. The defendant in this case is only accused of the charges set forth in the criminal complaint. They are innocent until proven guilty.
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Twelve Families Sue Texas Charter School After Coaches Force Students Into Days-Long Punishment Drills, Hospitalizing 20 With Life-Threatening Injuries
Twenty student athletes at a Texas charter school were hospitalized with life-threatening injuries after coaches allegedly forced them through days of non-stop punishment drills over a jersey mix-up — and then tried to cover it up.
By Silvia Torres
Published: April 16, 2026 8:00 am ET
WACO, TX — Twenty student athletes were hospitalized with a potentially fatal muscle breakdown condition after coaches at a Texas charter school allegedly forced them to perform continuous push-ups for more than an hour without water or rest — over three consecutive days — as punishment for a jersey mix-up, a new lawsuit alleges.
The lawsuit, filed April 10 in Waco on behalf of twelve families by the Cherry Johnson Siegmund James law firm, names Texas Leadership Charter Academy San Angelo and multiple staff members as defendants, alleging child abuse, failure to intervene, and an internal cover-up following the February 2025 incident.
Court documents say approximately 50 student athletes were ordered to complete continuous push-ups for more than an hour with no water or rest while gym doors remained closed. When students cried out or collapsed, coaches allegedly mocked them and ordered them to continue — and the punishment repeated across three straight days.
Coach Bradley Gunhee Oh allegedly led the punishment, monitoring students’ form and directing the exercises from start to finish. Athletic director Kent Sherill was accused of moving among the students and enforcing discipline every few minutes. Coach Emmanuel Serna was accused of pushing children to keep going and berating those who complained of pain. Coach Brandon Richardson allegedly ordered students who had collapsed to stand back up and continue. Coach Stetson Emfinger allegedly watched without intervening. Assistant Principal Robert Wray also allegedly failed to stop what was happening.
By the third day, the pain had become so severe that parents were helping their children eat, dress, and bathe, according to court documents. Students reported feeling intimidated, threatened, and scared. Several minor plaintiffs showed signs of psychological trauma, including nightmares about the coaches, anxiety, fear of returning to school, and depression.
As many as 20 students were hospitalized with rhabdomyolysis, a serious condition in which muscle tissue breaks down so severely it can cause kidney failure and death. One child’s laboratory values were nearly 750 times the upper limit of normal, and that child faced a mortality risk of 30 to 50 percent, according to court documents. Some students required up to seven days of hospitalization. Others face permanent kidney damage, ongoing medical treatment, physical therapy, and long-term restrictions on physical activity. Several minor plaintiffs were referred to nephrology and continue to undergo weekly blood draws, multi-phase physical therapy, and regular medical monitoring.
The lawsuit says students experienced severe muscle pain, loss of arm mobility, dark urine, nausea, and fatigue. A photograph of a student’s hospital urine sample was included in the court filings as evidence.
The lawsuit alleges school staff failed to notify families after the incident and that leadership did not report the abuse to authorities. Instead, hospital staff at Shannon Medical Center reportedly contacted Child Protective Services and law enforcement through routine medical procedure. Court filings claim Curtis Milbourn, TLCA’s head of compliance, directed school officials to delete email communications related to the incidents in an effort to conceal what happened. Coaches were quietly reassigned, and staff were allegedly told to add liability waivers to registration materials.
The suit alleges no TLCA employee filed a report with Child Protective Services or the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services, despite a legal requirement under Texas Family Code Chapter 261 to report suspected child abuse within 48 hours.
Court documents note that TLCA’s own Athletic Student Handbook — prepared by the athletic director and approved by school leadership — explicitly allows physical exercise as punishment. The school’s Student Code of Conduct, however, updated February 26, 2026, states: “Texas Leadership will NOT administer corporal punishment upon a student for misconduct.”
Court filings also name Walt Landers, CEO and superintendent of Texas Leadership Public Schools and board president of TLC Academy, alleging he fostered a pattern of unchecked authority within the school’s athletic program and created “the institutional culture that treated children’s bodies as instruments of punishment.” The filings further allege Landers used the school as a “personal family playground,” employing relatives and concealing incidents of sexual or physical abuse. Landers, who serves as senior pastor at The Life Church, receives nearly $200,000 annually in compensation from TLCA funds. The school receives close to $50 million in public funding from the state of Texas each year, according to the filings.
“This reflects a profound failure to protect student safety — not discipline, but abuse,” attorney Ryan Johnson said in a statement. “These students were pushed to the point of serious, life-threatening injury while the adults responsible stood by and did nothing. This went on for days despite clear signs of distress.”
In a statement issued April 15, TLCA San Angelo said it was aware of the lawsuit but unable to comment on specifics due to pending litigation. The school disputed the plaintiffs’ characterization of a cover-up, saying it was “confident that the facts will ultimately show that Texas Leadership administrators timely reported the alleged misconduct to DFPS/CPS, Texas Leadership has been transparent in addressing this with parents and Texas Leadership is actively cooperating with law enforcement in their investigation.”
The suit seeks damages for medical expenses, pain and suffering, and emotional distress, and aims to deter future misconduct. The case is ongoing.
Presumption of Innocence: A presumption of innocence means that any defendant in a criminal trial is presumed to be innocent until they have been proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. The defendant in this case is only accused of the charges set forth in the criminal complaint. They are innocent until proven guilty.
Editor's Note: ThePo makes every effort to accurately transcribe the contents of affidavits of probable cause contained in criminal complaints. Often, the complaints themselves are copies of copies of faxed copies, and are difficult to read. To confirm the accuracy of our transcription, contact the Magisterial District Court listed above and request a copy of the criminal complaint. It's a public record to which you are entitled.
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Twelve Families Sue Texas Charter School After Coaches Force Students Into Days-Long Punishment Drills, Hospitalizing 20 With Life-Threatening Injuries
Twenty student athletes at a Texas charter school were hospitalized with life-threatening injuries after coaches allegedly forced them through days of non-stop punishment drills over a jersey mix-up — and then tried to cover it up.
By Silvia Torres
Published: April 16, 2026 8:00 am ET
WACO, TX — Twenty student athletes were hospitalized with a potentially fatal muscle breakdown condition after coaches at a Texas charter school allegedly forced them to perform continuous push-ups for more than an hour without water or rest — over three consecutive days — as punishment for a jersey mix-up, a new lawsuit alleges.
The lawsuit, filed April 10 in Waco on behalf of twelve families by the Cherry Johnson Siegmund James law firm, names Texas Leadership Charter Academy San Angelo and multiple staff members as defendants, alleging child abuse, failure to intervene, and an internal cover-up following the February 2025 incident.
Court documents say approximately 50 student athletes were ordered to complete continuous push-ups for more than an hour with no water or rest while gym doors remained closed. When students cried out or collapsed, coaches allegedly mocked them and ordered them to continue — and the punishment repeated across three straight days.
Coach Bradley Gunhee Oh allegedly led the punishment, monitoring students’ form and directing the exercises from start to finish. Athletic director Kent Sherill was accused of moving among the students and enforcing discipline every few minutes. Coach Emmanuel Serna was accused of pushing children to keep going and berating those who complained of pain. Coach Brandon Richardson allegedly ordered students who had collapsed to stand back up and continue. Coach Stetson Emfinger allegedly watched without intervening. Assistant Principal Robert Wray also allegedly failed to stop what was happening.
By the third day, the pain had become so severe that parents were helping their children eat, dress, and bathe, according to court documents. Students reported feeling intimidated, threatened, and scared. Several minor plaintiffs showed signs of psychological trauma, including nightmares about the coaches, anxiety, fear of returning to school, and depression.
As many as 20 students were hospitalized with rhabdomyolysis, a serious condition in which muscle tissue breaks down so severely it can cause kidney failure and death. One child’s laboratory values were nearly 750 times the upper limit of normal, and that child faced a mortality risk of 30 to 50 percent, according to court documents. Some students required up to seven days of hospitalization. Others face permanent kidney damage, ongoing medical treatment, physical therapy, and long-term restrictions on physical activity. Several minor plaintiffs were referred to nephrology and continue to undergo weekly blood draws, multi-phase physical therapy, and regular medical monitoring.
The lawsuit says students experienced severe muscle pain, loss of arm mobility, dark urine, nausea, and fatigue. A photograph of a student’s hospital urine sample was included in the court filings as evidence.
The lawsuit alleges school staff failed to notify families after the incident and that leadership did not report the abuse to authorities. Instead, hospital staff at Shannon Medical Center reportedly contacted Child Protective Services and law enforcement through routine medical procedure. Court filings claim Curtis Milbourn, TLCA’s head of compliance, directed school officials to delete email communications related to the incidents in an effort to conceal what happened. Coaches were quietly reassigned, and staff were allegedly told to add liability waivers to registration materials.
The suit alleges no TLCA employee filed a report with Child Protective Services or the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services, despite a legal requirement under Texas Family Code Chapter 261 to report suspected child abuse within 48 hours.
Court documents note that TLCA’s own Athletic Student Handbook — prepared by the athletic director and approved by school leadership — explicitly allows physical exercise as punishment. The school’s Student Code of Conduct, however, updated February 26, 2026, states: “Texas Leadership will NOT administer corporal punishment upon a student for misconduct.”
Court filings also name Walt Landers, CEO and superintendent of Texas Leadership Public Schools and board president of TLC Academy, alleging he fostered a pattern of unchecked authority within the school’s athletic program and created “the institutional culture that treated children’s bodies as instruments of punishment.” The filings further allege Landers used the school as a “personal family playground,” employing relatives and concealing incidents of sexual or physical abuse. Landers, who serves as senior pastor at The Life Church, receives nearly $200,000 annually in compensation from TLCA funds. The school receives close to $50 million in public funding from the state of Texas each year, according to the filings.
“This reflects a profound failure to protect student safety — not discipline, but abuse,” attorney Ryan Johnson said in a statement. “These students were pushed to the point of serious, life-threatening injury while the adults responsible stood by and did nothing. This went on for days despite clear signs of distress.”
In a statement issued April 15, TLCA San Angelo said it was aware of the lawsuit but unable to comment on specifics due to pending litigation. The school disputed the plaintiffs’ characterization of a cover-up, saying it was “confident that the facts will ultimately show that Texas Leadership administrators timely reported the alleged misconduct to DFPS/CPS, Texas Leadership has been transparent in addressing this with parents and Texas Leadership is actively cooperating with law enforcement in their investigation.”
The suit seeks damages for medical expenses, pain and suffering, and emotional distress, and aims to deter future misconduct. The case is ongoing.
Presumption of Innocence: A presumption of innocence means that any defendant in a criminal trial is presumed to be innocent until they have been proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. The defendant in this case is only accused of the charges set forth in the criminal complaint. They are innocent until proven guilty.
Editor's Note: ThePo makes every effort to accurately transcribe the contents of affidavits of probable cause contained in criminal complaints. Often, the complaints themselves are copies of copies of faxed copies, and are difficult to read. To confirm the accuracy of our transcription, contact the Magisterial District Court listed above and request a copy of the criminal complaint. It's a public record to which you are entitled.
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