An Ohio school board is investigating an alleged assault on a 10th-grade girl by a male student aboard a school bus after video of the incident spread widely across social media.
The confrontation happened 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 repeatedly punching and kicking the girl. Several students can be heard laughing before the boy places her in a chokehold. Someone then tells him to “Chill.”
The girl’s stepfather told WKBN-TV that he did not learn the full details of the incident until Wednesday—five days after the beating. He said the girl was taken to a hospital so doctors could assess her injuries.
Both students attend the Mahoning Valley Community School through a service agreement involving the Boardman Local School District. Under that arrangement, the district provides transportation for MVCS students.
In a statement to Cleveland television station FOX 8, 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.
FIND OUT MORE: Americans Face Worst Airport Travel Crisis Since 9/11
The district also said no student injuries had been reported immediately after the incident. Officials are reviewing their notification and transportation procedures to determine what went wrong and whether changes are necessary.
Officials said the driver could not pull the bus over immediately as the assault unfolded but stopped soon after the altercation began. The bus aide has been placed on leave “pending the outcome of the investigation.”
The girl’s stepfather told WKBN-TV that the aide should have served as an additional set of eyes rather than relying on a phone camera that “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 addressing the incident.
“MVCS is concerned by public assertions that Mahoning Valley Community School has ignored this incident or failed to respond appropriately,” Merritt said.
She explained that federal and state student-privacy laws restrict schools from publicly discussing individual student circumstances, disciplinary proceedings and certain responses to incidents. “The inability to publicly discuss these matters should not be mistaken for indifference or inaction,” Merritt added.
