NEW YORK – Video of a Long Island high school student being beaten in a school hallway attack has surfaced, and now the teenager’s father plans to sue the district, claiming they don’t haven’t done enough to stop it. .
The attack inside the halls of Central Islip High School on March 17 was filmed on a cellphone and later shared on social media. In the video, a 14-year-old girl is thrown to the ground by another student, who then begins punching the victim in the face. The attacker continues to beat her as the teenager tries to escape down the hall.
The girl’s father said he first saw video of the incident online.
“When I saw the video on social media, I was even more furious because I noticed my daughter had no help,” Ezra Hoyte said. “You can see her, disoriented, looking for help, running around the corner. So she was sad and upset.”
Suffolk County police say the teen suffered minor injuries in the attack, which Hoyte said was unprovoked. Police confirmed that the alleged attacker, 14, was arrested for assault.
Hoyte said her daughter has not returned to school since the violent incident and may never return.
“Emotionally she is distraught,” the father said.
The father-of-two now plans to sue Central Islip Schools for $2million, alleging the school was negligent in failing to prevent or stop the assault.
“I just want her to be protected and a stricter trial for these children so this doesn’t happen,” he said Wednesday. “I can’t be there to protect her, and that’s why I’m a little scared and she’s scared to go back to school.”
Central Islip Schools declined to comment on the incident, citing the ongoing lawsuit. But in a statement, the district said it “seeks to avoid the consequences of student disruption through proactive approaches to establishing a school climate without physical engagement.”
Another parent agreed with the district, saying “for the most part they are very, very aware of everything,” saying the scuffle seen on video was an isolated incident.
A high school student also said he saw a marked decrease in fighting at school. But none of that is comforting to Hoyte, who said his daughter should have been protected from what happened.
“I was hoping she would be protected when she went to school, so there’s no reason for that to happen,” Hoyte said.
The incident came to light just two days after cellphone videos posted on social media showed the aftermath of a stabbing inside Lindenhurst High School between two boys, which may have been committed by a girl . Parents at that school said the fight was unsurprising, calling it part of a school atmosphere of social media bullying and physical violence that school officials failed to address.
Lindenhurst officials said the knife attack was an isolated incident. In an earlier statement, the Lindenhurst superintendent said “safety is a top priority” at the school.
It also follows allegations of bullying from a New Jersey high school. In an incident at Central Regional High School in Berkeley Township, a video, which was also shared on social media, similar to the Central Islip attack, showed several students brutally attacking a 14-year-old female student while that she was walking with her boyfriend. . school hallway.
The victim of this incident, Adiana Kuch, committed suicide in her home just days after the alleged bullying incident in early February. Since then, other allegations of school bullying have surfaced, as parents and students have expressed their frustrations. The incidents and emotional protests led to the district superintendent’s resignation.