A video that shows a Southern Middle School student being physically assaulted by a group of students on a school bus is circulating on Facebook. The incident occurred on Oct. 18, according to Moore County Schools Communication Director Catherine Nagy in an email to Sandhills Sentinel.
Below is an edited version of the video, but it could be distressing for some people. It is graphic and violent. The students involved have been carefully blurred out, so no one is identifiable to protect the identity of all minors involved.
The girl did not suffer serious injuries, and the school bus driver took appropriate action. “The driver followed protocol and returned to the school so that school administrators could investigate and take appropriate action, which they did,” Nagy said.
When asked by Sandhills Sentinel if the police were involved, Nagy stated, “We are unable to answer this question due to federal and state confidentiality laws. As a general matter, significant assaults on students typically result in disciplinary sanctions per the MCS code of student conduct and may be referred to law enforcement as confidential student matters. State and federal laws do not permit us to comment on disciplinary charges or juvenile just referrals for any particular students.”
Sandhills Sentinel asked Nagy for more details of the incident. “We are unable to comment directly on information related to this event as a result of FERPA,” said Nagy. “However, we can say that staff takes any incident of violence or disruptions to our educational environments very seriously. School administrators follow appropriate school board policies, and students receive the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act.” The act was passed in 1974 and granted specific rights to students, including protecting their identities.
“If students witness these types of incidents they are strongly encouraged to “See Something Say Something” and report it,” said Nagy. “If students wish to report anonymously MCS Police has a hotline dedicated to that purpose at 910-947-5061.”
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This story will be updated if additional information becomes available.
Video via Facebook.
~Written by Sandhills Sentinel Reporter Chris Prentice. Contact him at [email protected].
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