An Ohio school board is investigating an assault involving a 10th-grade girl and a male student aboard a school bus after footage of the confrontation spread widely on social media.
The incident took place Friday, Nov. 6, on a bus transporting students to Mahoning Valley Community School, a public high school in Youngstown serving students in grades 7 through 12.
Video apparently recorded by another student shows the boy punching and kicking the girl several times. Students can be heard laughing before the boy places her in a chokehold, leading one person to say, “Chill.”
The girl’s stepfather told WKBN-TV that he learned the details Wednesday, five days after the attack. He said the girl was taken to a hospital so doctors could assess the extent of her injuries.
A boy strikes a 10th-grade girl on an Ohio school bus Friday, Nov. 6, 2026, in video recorded by an unidentified student. (X/ @1776NC)
Both students attend the Boardman Local School District and take classes at Mahoning Valley Community School under a service agreement between the districts. Boardman provides transportation for students enrolled at MVCS.
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.”
After repeatedly striking the girl in the face, the boy grabs her and places her in a chokehold. (X/ @1776NC)
The district said the driver could not pull over immediately during the assault but stopped soon after it began. 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 serve as an additional set of eyes—not a phone 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.
The assault involving the 10th-grade girl occurred aboard a bus traveling to Mahoning Valley Community School in Youngstown, Ohio. (Google Maps)
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.”