A South Florida mother wants to press charges against two students who were caught on camera beating up her 9-year-old daughter on a school bus. WPLG obtained footage of the ruthless incident, which happened around 4:10 p.m. Wednesday (February 1) in the area of 24400 SW 124th Ave. in Miami.
The video shows a boy repeatedly punching a third-grade girl as she tries to shield herself with her arm. It then cuts to another boy joining in, pummeling her relentlessly. According to reporters, a group of children was seen arguing on the bus before violence broke out. The video was also posted to social media.
The victim's mother, who wasn't identified, claims Miami-Dade Schools Police and Fire Rescue had to respond.
“I don’t see any adult intervention at all,” she told the news station. “It’s very crazy because there’s all this yelling going on in the bus and the two adults on the bus – the bus (driver) and the bus aide, only sit in the front.”
The mother said she has two other children, a 10-year-old boy and a 7-year-old boy, attending the school. She reportedly told administrators and counselors about two of her kids getting bullied but was only advised to withdraw them from the school.
Now, the frustrated mother is planning to file criminal charges against the two children who attacked her daughter. She fears if there isn't any change in the school system, children could get hurt or even killed in the future.
“My goal is not to incriminate any other children,” the parent said. “My goal is to make sure they have the security for the kids to make sure this doesn’t continue to happen.”
According to a Thursday (February 2) statement sent to WPLG, Miami-Dade County Public Schools (MDCPS) said one of the boys was arrested and "will be charged accordingly."
“Miami-Dade County Public Schools (M-DCPS) is aware that several video clips involving students from Coconut Palm K-8 Academy are circulating on a social media platform, which promotes prohibited unsafe behavior. Miami-Dade Schools Police arrested the offender and they will be charged accordingly. Additionally, those involved will be disciplined according to the Code of Student Conduct. The safety and wellbeing of our students is of the utmost importance. This school district goes to great lengths to promote the values of restraint and respect as well as using social media responsibly. We ask that parents reinforce these principles at home.”
The district is also investigating the incident to determine if the employee who was near the students will be disciplined.