An Ohio school district has launched an investigation after video showing a 10th-grade girl being attacked by a male student on a school bus spread widely across social media.
The assault took place Friday, Nov. 6, aboard a bus transporting students to Mahoning Valley Community School, a public high school in Youngstown serving students in grades 7 through 12.
Footage apparently recorded by another student shows the boy repeatedly punching and kicking the girl. Several students can be heard laughing before the boy places her in a chokehold, leading someone nearby to say, “Chill.”
The girl’s stepfather told WKBN-TV that he did not learn the full details of the attack until Wednesday — five days after she was beaten. He said the girl was taken to a hospital so doctors could assess her injuries.
Both students attend the Boardman Local School District and take classes at Mahoning Valley Community School under a service agreement between the districts. As part of that arrangement, Boardman provides transportation for MVCS students.
In a statement to FOX 8, a Cleveland television affiliate, the district apologized for “the delay in promptly notifying parents of the incident.”
“While bus staff notified Community School administrators, the severity of the incident was not adequately communicated,” the district said.
“We can share that no student injuries were reported following the incident. We are reviewing both notification and transportation procedures to determine what happened and whether improvements are needed.”
The district said the driver could not stop the bus immediately when the fight began but pulled over shortly afterward. The bus aide was placed on leave “pending the outcome of the investigation.”
The girl’s stepfather told WKBN-TV that the aide was supposed to provide an extra set of eyes on the students — unlike a cellphone camera, which “can’t defend the students.”
“This is a complete failure to communicate, protect. I don’t even have the words — there are so many to use,” he said.
Jennifer Merritt, superintendent of Mahoning Valley Community School, also issued a statement regarding the incident.
“MVCS is concerned by public assertions that Mahoning Valley Community School has ignored this incident or failed to respond appropriately,” she said.
“Schools are bound by federal and state student confidentiality requirements that limit the public disclosure of individual student circumstances, disciplinary matters, and certain actions taken in response to incidents. The inability to publicly discuss these matters should not be mistaken for indifference or inaction.”