Cleveland High School students packed into hallways 'like sardines'

CLEVELAND, Texas (KTRK) -- Chaotic cell phone videos shared with ABC13 show Cleveland High School students packed shoulder to shoulder in hallways, barely able to walk.

"Kids are just crammed in there like sardines," Jerry Hensley, communications director at Cleveland ISD, said.

Hensley is not alone in his concerns. Several parents reached out to ABC13.

One mother, who asked to remain anonymous, said she planned to pull her son out of the school fearing for his safety.

"It just concerns me with fire safety, or tornadoes, or, God forbid, an active shooter. How many kids are gonna get trampled?" the parent said.

The district has experienced explosive growth - nearly doubling in size since 2018.

Still, a certificate of occupancy ABC13 obtained through a records request shows the high school can hold up to 3,968 people.

Matthew Bieniek, a Cleveland ISD spokesperson, said modular units can hold at least 1,000 more, meaning the district is more than 2,000 people under its maximum occupancy.

Mohammad Rizwan, a senior at Cleveland HS, told ABC13 he believes congestion in the hallways has grown worse over the past two years after the school began limiting entrances and exits - which changed walking patterns.

"The whole reason that we're packed like this is because they're trying to put more emphasis on safety," Rizwan said.

Bieniek said the high school is looking into changing those walking patterns "to sort of decrease that traffic flow and possible release at different times so that it's not so overcrowded."

In November, voters will have the option to approve construction of a new middle school. If approved, some high schoolers will be moved into the existing building, which Bieniek said will further alleviate crowding.

The high school is also expected to gain an additional 18 "portable" classrooms later this year, when construction on the new administration building is slated for completion.

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