The parents of a nine-year-old Florida girl who was videoed being mercilessly beaten by two boys aboard a school bus plan to pursue criminal charges against her attackers, according to reports.
Footage of the stomach-churning assault shows two boys ferociously and repeatedly punching the third-grader at Coconut Palm K-8 Academy in Homestead as she desperately tries to fend them off.
No adults intervene during the 30-second attack which was video recorded by a classmate.
The mother of the victim told Local 10 she will demand criminal charges against her child’s assailants.
She told the outlet that school administrators are overwhelmed by spiralling violence inside and around the school — and their response was to advise her to enrol her three children elsewhere.
The heartbroken mum noted her two older kids have also been bullied during their brief time at the school — and counsellors and administrators have done nothing to address her complaints.
The girl’s father took to social media to express his rage and vowed to launch protests in front of the school.
“I want to set up a rally and confront the school head-on,” he wrote on Facebook. “The lack of security is unreal, and the lack of security on the bus is ridiculous … The bullying must stop!!!”
In a statement, the Miami-Dade Schools Police said the offenders have been arrested.
“The safety and wellbeing of our students is of the utmost importance,” it read. “This school district goes to great lengths to promote the values of restraint and respect as well as using social media responsibly. We ask that parents reinforce these principles at home.”
This article was originally published by the New York Post and reproduced with permission