Niles parents are frustrated and upset about that school bus attack
NILES, Mich. (WNDU) - Parents and community members gathered in Niles on Wednesday to express their feelings about a brutal attack on a school bus last week that was caught on video.
It was an extremely emotional morning at Riverfront Park, filled with tears, frustration, and a feeling of helplessness as Niles parents gathered to voice their concerns for the future.
The video, which involves a fifth-grade girl and 7-year-old boy from Ballard Elementary School, went viral over the weekend. It shows the two students arguing for more than a minute, both screaming expletives at each other. The fifth grader eventually gets out of her seat while the bus is still moving and begins punching the smaller, defenseless boy more than 18 times in the head.
WNDU 16 News Now is not airing the two-minute video.
READ MORE: Niles community outraged after video of fight on school bus goes viral
“I have to go to work, my kids have to ride this bus, but I am also sitting at work knowing that my kids are not safe,” said Stephanie Gorman, a mother of three kids who she says ride the same bus depicted in the graphic video.
Safety was a word repeated many times as parents voiced their concerns and provided a listening space for each other. Many echoed similar stories of their children experiencing bullying, while a few accused the school district of ignoring acts of bullying and violence.
Gorman claims this level of chaos is a daily occurrence.
“Every single day, they’re getting off of the bus scared,” she said. “There’s a problem on the bus every single day. There’s fights on the bus, there’s arguing on the bus. Every single day for the last year and a half has been an issue.”
One of the parents who spoke out was TJ Camp, the father of the young boy in that video.
“On Thursday night, I saw the video of my 7-year-old child being viciously beaten by a much older and larger student,” he told the crowd. “I was horrified by what I saw. The school district told me there were two adults on the bus — a driver and a monitor. As could be seen in the video, nothing was done to stop the attack on my child.
“Statements put out by the school district regarding how the issue was handled are simply not true,” Camp added. “Until I can assure the safety of my children, they will not be attending Ballard Elementary School. In the meantime, it is my goal that no other parent or child has to deal with something like this again, and all legal options are currently on the table.”
Other parents came out as a warning for how bullying and violence isn’t something to take lightly. Like Kathryn Greer, who lost her son, Kai, to suicide after experiencing bullying.
“This is what’s going to happen to more and more students if Niles doesn’t get a grip on this,” Greer said.
READ MORE: Niles police, prosecutors to review fight on school bus
WNDU 16 News Now spoke to Niles Community Schools Superintendent Dr. Dan Applegate on Tuesday. He says when disturbing things like this happen on school buses, they are investigated thoroughly.
Applegate also says the district is taking proactive and reactive steps, and they take all bullying cases seriously.
The case is going to the Berrien County Prosecutor’s Office for review. This doesn’t necessarily mean that charges are imminent, but it does emphasize the severity of what happened on the bus and in that viral video.
Stay with WNDU.com and WNDU 16 News Now as we continue to follow this developing story.
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