FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – The mother of a 12-year-old boy attacked by a girl on a Broward school bus tells Local 10 News that she wants to see more action taken against the perpetrator, saying the school district’s actions haven’t been sufficient.
Tears ran down the face of Shakara Dennis as she described the attack, which happened in late August.
She said the girl attacked her son, who attends William Dandy Middle School in Fort Lauderdale, as they sat in the back of the bus.
The beating was caught on video. Dennis said she heard the attack was prompted by her son saying he “did not want to be friends with her anymore.”
“60 seconds of your child being attacked and nobody is helping him,” Dennis said. “I felt hopeless because I couldn’t be there to stop it.”
The video shows a girl in a yellow shirt on top of her son, throwing punch after punch, even kicking the boy as he covers his face. But he never strikes back.
“You are not supposed to put your hands on women,” Dennis said.
“And that’s something you’ve ingrained in him?” Local 10 News reporter Roy Ramos asked.
“Yes sir,” Dennis said.
Eventually, Dennis’ son made it home, but how he walked up to her remains painful for his mother to describe.
“His shirt was bloody also, his nosed was busted, he was crying,” she said.
Dennis said she reached out to the school, which she said told her that the student was suspended from riding the bus for two days.
While the district couldn’t confirm how she was reprimanded, officials did send a statement to Local 10 News.
“The student responsible received appropriate disciplinary measures in accordance with the Student Code of Conduct. In addition, the school’s administration provided mediation for the students with the goal of preventing any future issues,” the statement said in part.
Those actions weren’t enough for Dennis, who contacted Fort Lauderdale police. Officials with FLPD said the department is working with the Broward Sheriff’s Office to investigate what happened.
Broward County Public Schools went on to say that the district takes student safety seriously and remains in contact with the parents of both students involved.