Beaver Area Schools Reckon With 2 Violent Bullying Incidents In The Same Week
BEAVER, Pa. (KDKA) -- Two incidences of extreme bullying involving students in Beaver County School District in the last few days have been caught on video.
One video went viral of female students at home, recording themselves punching, throwing and spraying a ninth-grade girl in the face with a liquid.
The latest happened to a male student while in school at Beaver Area High School.
The incident was also caught on video and shows the student getting punched and thrown from his desk.
KDKA's Lindsay Ward Reports:
The student's family addressed the school board.
The student at Beaver Area High School suffered a concussion, but the family of 16-year-old Luke Hartman says he was also suspended after he was attacked from behind. The family gave permission to use his name and the video.
The video shows a student hitting Hartman, a junior, from behind while sitting at his desk working. The student then pushes Hartman onto the floor, and Hartman attempts to defend himself.
The other student was suspended for five days, Hartman for three.
The family addressed the Beaver Area school board Monday night where they said that no student should have to go through what he did and then get suspended for defending themselves.
"I tried to file charges against the kid. Now my son has to get charged," Rene Hartman, the student's mother, said.
"The gentleman assaulted our son from behind, beat him mercilessly when he fought back, got him on the floor and then after he was done, kicked him in the head," Anthony Fowler, Hartman's stepfather, said. "We are appalled that this happened here. You send your kids to school to be safe."
A board member then advised them on their next course of action.
"I think the best course of action is maybe to meet with the disciplinary committee [of this school board]," the board member said.
A few days earlier, another incident involved a now-viral video showing female students bullying a fellow classmate in the Beaver Area School District.
A ninth-grade girl from Central Valley is threatened and then punched to the face. Several classmates then proceeded to shared it on social media.
The superintendent declined an on-camera interview but reassured the family of Luke Hartman that they are reviewing this latest video to take appropriate next steps. The incident involving the female students did not happen on school grounds, so the district is limited on what it can do. However, the superintendent says incidents such as these are a level beyond bullying and in some cases should be considered assault.
We will let you know what happens with Luke Hartman.
