MIAMI – A disturbing scene was caught on camera inside a South Florida school, with a young girl being injured and saying it was an act of bullying.
An attorney representing the family said the bullying was part of an online social media prank called the jump challenge.
According to the victim, two other students at the school asked her to jump as high as she could. One of the students jumped with her to see who could jump higher while the other stood off to the side.
“They kept asking me until I said yes,” the 16-year-old freshman said.
When the victim jumped, the two students swept her legs out from under her, causing her to fall backwards and hurt her neck and head.
“I jumped really high and I remember them kicking me off my feet and I fell on my head,” she said.
It happened Feb. 4 at South Dade Senior High School.
An attorney representing the family said there are incidents like this happening across the country, causing multiple injuries and even death.
That is why the attorney is targeting Miami-Dade County Public Schools for a possible lawsuit, claiming students and parents should have been warned of the dangers of the social media challenge.
The Miami-Dade County school board released a statement, saying:
“As part of a recent disturbing national trend, students are participating in social media pranks to gain likes and followers, potentially at the expense of others. The behavior in this video demonstrates a lack of good judgment on the part of those involved and will not be tolerated by our district. Parents are urged to speak with their children about the responsible use of social media, and to remind them that respect and empathy for others is far more important than any online trend.”
According to the school board, three students were disciplined as a result of the incident.
As for the victim, she has transferred to another school and is currently undergoing treatment as a result of her injuries.