EL PASO, Texas (KFOX14\/CBS4) \u2014 A military family that recently moved to El Paso says it pulled two teenage daughters, Brooke and Taniya, out of Pebble Hills High School and began homeschooling after what the mother describes as racially motivated harassment that escalated into a fight in the school cafeteria.<\/p>\n
Precious Starks said the harassment began Oct. 16, when her daughter Brooke told her that students in her classroom were throwing objects at her, nearly hitting her in the face. <\/p>\n
Starks said Brooke confronted the student she believed threw the object, told him not to do it again, and then informed a teacher.<\/p>\n
Starks said her daughters had previously told her they were subjected to racial comments at school, particularly Brooke. <\/p>\n
\u201cShe says that a lot of that happens in mainly one of her classes in particular where she\u2019s the only African American student,\u201d Starks said. <\/p>\n
Starks said Brooke told her she reported the comments to teachers, and Starks believed those reports were being forwarded to the school office, but said she is learning that may not have happened.<\/p>\n
Starks said her daughter thought the issue had been resolved, but a few days later, a fight broke out.<\/p>\n
On Oct. 19, Starks said she believes students were still upset about the earlier incident because in the school cafeteria, the students approached her daughters and attacked them.<\/p>\n
Starks said one of the students asked Brooke, \u201cLike, what did you say to my brother?\u201d before attacking her, triggering the fight.<\/p>\n
WATCH:<\/p>\n
Blurred cellphone video of the fight at Pebble Hills HS cafeteria. Credit: Precious Starks<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
RECOMMENDED: El Paso County issued disaster declaration after Horizon City flooding<\/a><\/p>\n After the fight, Starks said she spoke with the principal and a school officer and she disagreed with how they investigated the fight and how they disciplined the students. <\/p>\n First, Starks said the officer told her that she could only press charges against one student and not the two, saying that based on the video, it looks like the other student looked like they were restraining Taniya (who appears in the video wearing a red top with white pants), not fighting her. <\/p>\n But Starks disputes that account of the incident, saying that the video shows the student body-slamming her daughter. <\/p>\n Second, Starks also disagreed with the students getting \u201cin-school suspension,\u201d saying that she doesn’t feel her daughters are safe with the other students in the school. <\/p>\n \u201cSo I felt like it was the best decision to withdraw my daughters because I fear for their safety at that point,\u201d Starks said, adding that her two girls will now be homeschooled.<\/p>\n Furthermore, Starks noted what she described as an indifference toward her daughters, saying that with the exception of one teacher, no one from the school, not staff members or administrators, reached out to her to check on how her daughters were doing.<\/p>\n Starks said the teacher told her \u201cthat this thing has been going on at Pebble Hills for a very long time,\u201d and that the teacher was \u201cvery disappointed in the school system and how they operate.\u201d<\/p>\n Now, a week after the incident, Starks said she wants accountability.<\/p>\n \u201cI would say in general, it\u2019s very sad that this is still happening in 2026,\u201d Starks said. \u201cIn our family, we teach love, and our children deserve to go to school or go out in the world and feel protected and safe. Our children deserve to get an education just like everyone else.\u201d<\/p>\n The incident, which was caught on cell phone video and shared on social media, drew the attention of Carl Dwyer, president of the NAACP El Paso branch.<\/p>\n