Apparent punch at girls basketball game propels lawmaker into action

An apparent sucker punch thrown by a Van Buren, Missouri, girls basketball player during a game has gained the attention of a local lawmaker who says legislation is needed to make state athletic officials report the scope of such incidents to the joint committee on education.

State Rep. Steve Cookson is probing the circumstances surrounding the actions of Summer Shockley. Seen wearing uniform No. 22 in a cellphone video (available at darnews.com/video/hsfightvid.ogg), she clearly assaulted an unidentified South Iron player during a Jan. 21 game in Ellington, Missouri.

"I was being sent messages and texts from constituents concerning the incident over at Van Buren. Whenever I investigated it a little bit, I got a video sent to me by a constituent that showed this girl punching this other girl after the ref called a dead ball," Cookson said.

"Punched her so hard, it knocked her backward and she laid on the floor. In looking at the video, it seems very vicious and very troubling in talking about the safety of our student athletes," said Cookson, a former basketball player and coach.

Cookson said he sent the video to the Missouri State High School Activities Association, but it told him it was a school discipline matter. MSHSAA provided reporters the same response when asked what actions would be taken against the team or Shockley.

"The school has dealt with the situation locally. Typically, that is what happens, the schools self-impose sanctions," MSHSAA communications director Jason West said.

Van Buren school superintendent Lyn Reed said the student has been disciplined but declined to provide any other details, citing the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act.

Cookson, however, says that law does not apply in a public space where players are readily identified.

"I understand student privacy, but this is happening in public with people who are identified with numbers and rosters that say their name, leaving a big door open they have foregone any FERPA rights they might have," Cookson said.

Cookson in January filed House Bill 584 to make the Missouri State High School Athletics Association report to the joint committee on education annually. The legislation will require the association to provide audits and any other information requested.

"I am planning on going forward with my legislation that I have filed that requires the high-school activities association to appear at least one day per year during the interim and reviewing any of these types of incidents," Cookson said.

"Also, how many student across the state are receiving concussions or serious injuries?" he said.

South Iron County Schools also was contacted about the incident and to inquire on the student's well-being, but messages left were not answered.

A game between the schools scheduled for Feb. 6 was canceled. South Iron Schools posted on social media, "The HS girls basketball game with Van Buren for Monday evening has been canceled due to an emergency in the family of the Van Buren coaching staff."

It is unclear whether HB 584 will become law during the current session. Cookson said regardless, schools and state activities officials need to step up their game about student safety.

"We have adults at Van Buren and South Iron whose primary job is to protect the safety of our kids, not to mention we have an organization that by law is to formulate which sportsmanship and safety protocols our schools should follow, and they are not, in this instance, carrying out their charge," Cookson said.

"If this were to happen in a classroom, it would be a violation of the Safe Schools Act," Cookson said.