Photo: Getty Images
Texas police have launched an investigation after a 13-year-old student was attacked by adults on a school bus, CBS News Texas reports.
The girl, who remains unidentified due to age, said the attack began just before the bus was leaving Denton's Bettye Myers Middle School last week.
Prior to the attack, the teenager said rumors were circulating that a new girl at school wanted to fight her. The girl said she had reported the threats to school officials before the assault.
"She said if I didn't keep her name out of my mouth, then she was going to beat me up," the girl recalled to CBS News Texas.
A confrontation between the two girls occurred on the bus ramp. The teenager said the new girl hit her before she fought back to defend herself.
The 13-year-old student said she later heard her assailant yell "Mom" as an adult joined in on the fight.
"I was wishing I had my Mama," the girl said. "Because nobody helped me."
The student said another adult woman joined the attack and put her in a "chokehold."
According to the teen, the two women eventually got off the bus, but they followed it to her stop and she was attacked again after getting off. Video shows the 13-year-old being beaten while on the ground.
The girl's mother questioned the bus driver's failure to act.
"Had he locked the door, called for help, waited for the police to arrive. Those grown adults wouldn't have been able to get on a bus, assault my child, and they wouldn't been able to follow the bus and continue assaulting her," the mom said. "And then while she (a relative of the girl accused of attacking her on the bus) was out there fighting her, he's like, he just drove off."
Denton school officials declined to discuss student discipline due to privacy laws but said the new student wouldn't be returning to campus.
"This horrible video depicts unacceptable conduct Denton ISD never condones, including an adult unlawfully boarding a school bus ... Per district policy, the driver immediately called dispatch and requested law enforcement. Drivers are not authorized to use their personal cell phones while on the bus to ensure safety. Police responded to this incident, and this is currently an ongoing, active investigation by the Denton Police Department centered around an adult unlawfully boarding the bus and injuring a child," the school said in a statement.
"Following this situation, transportation officials addressed the driver, reinforced procedures, and provided additional training," the statement added.
The 13-year-old victim said she was suspended for three days following the incident.
"I feel like Denton ISD failed my child," her mother said. "I could I could be a parent planning funeral arrangements if they would have had a weapon and got on a bus with a knife or a gun."
A Denton police spokesperson said an investigation into the incident remains ongoing.
Watch video of the incident here.
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