Goose Creek CISD superintendent responds to fallout after deadly high school fight

BAYTOWN, Texas - The Goose Creek CISD superintendent has issued a letter in response to Wednesday's deadly fight at Sterling High School.

Sterling High School fight: GCCISD superintendent's response

What they're saying:

Dr. Randal O'Brien starts the letter by sending condolences to loved ones of the student killed in the fight. The student's family identified him as 16-year-old Andrew Meismer.

Dr. O'Brien also writes that details about the incident will be limited as law enforcement continue to investigate.

Andrew Meismer (Photo provided by family)

The superintendent goes on to defend Sterling High School continuing classes the day after the fight. 

"After careful consideration, the administration decided that the best way to serve our students and faculty in the wake of this tragedy would be to come together as a campus community to provide in-person support," wrote Dr. O'Brien. "To that end, we reopened Sterling on Thursday morning with a full crisis response team in place and ready to serve our students and staff as they process yesterday’s events."

The superintendent then warns others about an alleged social media post going around about the suspect's disciplinary history. 

The suspect has been identified as 18-year-old Aundre Matthews. The Harris County District Attorney's Office tells FOX 26 that it has accepted a murder charge on Matthews.

Featured

article

Deadly Sterling High School fight: Student in custody identified, charged

The student who was taken into custody after a deadly fight at Goose Creek CISD’s Sterling High School has been identified.

Dr. O'Brien says that while Goose Creek CISD addresses concerns about student behavior, the response can be "limited by state and federal law."

"These laws exist to protect students and families, even when outcomes are difficult to understand in the aftermath of tragedy," he wrote.

Towards the end of the letter, Dr. O'Brien says the incident is believed to have been only been between the two students, but advises parents to check in on their children.

Sterling HS protest

Baytown students protest after classmate death's from on-campus fight

Sterling High School students are speaking out against the school after losing a classmate following a fight on campus. FOX 26's Sherman Desselle spoke to students who protested just outside of the campus.

The other side:

Students at Sterling High School protested in front of the campus on Thursday. 

Students and parents raised multiple questions about how the fight was handled and about Matthews' alleged disciplinary history.

"This kid posted his rap sheet online for the world to see," one protester said. "Why was he here? Why was he still a student here?"

Students were also against the campus reopening the day after the fight.

"[There are] a lot of students in there that are genuinely scared to be in class right now," one student said. "Some of them are having panic attacks, some have gone home early, some have seen things they shouldn't've had to see."