By Miya Shay, ABC13 Houston.
HARRIS COUNTY, Texas (KTRK) — A day after a student was stabbed and killed during a science class, the Harris County District Attorney’s Office accepted murder charges for the 18-year-old Aundre Matthews, the accused suspect, according to officials.
Meanwhile, students at Sterling High School are demanding answers from the adults who run the district. Andrew Meismer’s parents confirmed to ABC13 that he was killed on Wednesday in science class. Matthews, another student at the school, is under arrest, accused of stabbing Meismer, but students believe the tragedy could have been prevented.
Dozens of students spent the day protesting outside Sterling High School, holding handwritten signs and calling for justice for their friend and classmate. Many said Meismer did not deserve to die and that warning signs were ignored.
SEE ALSO: High school student dies after being stabbed by a classmate in Baytown, Goose Creek CISD says
“He was a great guy. He didn’t deserve this,” Braxton Roux, who graduated from Sterling High School in 2024, said. “The district keeps letting kids back into classrooms who are clearly dangerous.”
Multiple students told ABC13 that Meismer was stabbed during a fight in science class. They claim the suspected attacker had a long disciplinary history at the school, including prior incidents involving violence.
“Teachers were complaining about him before, about assault charges and knives being brought on campus,” Lilly Williams, another student protesting, said. “Nothing was done about it.”
Students said the 18-year-old suspect was repeatedly allowed to return to school despite those issues. ABC13 reached out to Goose Creek ISD police and Baytown police for answers; 24 hours after the incident, the district posted the following statement on its website:
My heart is heavy as I join the community in grieving yesterday’s tragedy at Sterling High School. We are mourning the loss of a student, and our deepest condolences are with the student’s family, friends, and all Sterling Rangers. There are no words that can fully meet a moment like this, but please know that the District and community stand with you.
We want to thank the faculty members closest to the event who acted swiftly and provided immediate care until professional medical assistance arrived.
We understand you have many questions. We do too. We are committed to being as transparent as possible, but this is an active police investigation, and it is now in the hands of law enforcement. That process will guide what information can be shared and when. As we are able, we will continue to communicate updates in a timely and responsible manner that is consistent with our obligations under federal student privacy law.
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. 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 (Wednesday’s) events.
It has also come to my attention that an image purporting to be a student’s disciplinary history has been publicly circulated. While the District is prohibited from discussing students’ disciplinary histories in the public sphere, I urge exercising discretion when relying on information circulated on social media, regardless of its source.
That said, please know that Goose Creek CISD takes student behavior very seriously and works diligently to address concerns as they arise. At the same time, our responses to student misconduct are guided and, at times, 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.
As we close out the semester, our focus is on supporting students, staff, and families. Counselors and additional support personnel are available at Sterling and throughout the District, and we will continue to provide resources on campus and across the District as needed.
Parents: While we believe this to be an isolated incident between two students, I encourage you to check in on your child, listen closely, and reach out if you see signs that they are struggling. We want to help.
To the Sterling family and community: you are not alone. We will lift one another up in the days ahead, and we will honor this student’s life by wrapping our arms around those who are hurting and continuing our daily mission of providing a safe space for our students to learn and grow.
Thank you for your compassion, your patience, and your care for our students and staff.
“My main problem is it’s just business as usual, even though a child is dead,” a mother who brought pizzas to the protesting students said. “Somebody’s child died on your property, and it’s like, ‘Come take your finals.'”
Students said Andrew Meismer and his family deserve transparency and accountability.
“I don’t think that should happen to anyone, no matter what they’ve done,” another student said.
Students say they plan to return to campus on Friday to continue protesting and demand answers from Goose Creek ISD officials. So far, they say their questions-and ABC13’s requests-have been met with silence.
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