SALT LAKE CITY (ABC 4 News) - A Utah mom says her son was the target of a brutal fight, a fight that was caught on camera and posted on the internet by some Olympus Junior High School students.
The mother is asking ABC 4 to take action to protect other children from bullying. It’s still unclear what started the fight. At this point it's a lot of he said, she said, and rumors among the junior high students.
The video shows a violent fight between Olympus Junior High students over the weekend. You can see an 8th grader targeted by a number of other students. He struggles on the ground as others join the fight. You see someone stomp on and kick the 8th grader’s head. Later you see the same boy punching the 8th grader nine times before someone steps in. Then you see who we're told is the student body president hugging the attacker. All of that happens as students cheer in the background.
The victim's mother didn't want to be identified. She says she's appalled that those who witnessed the fight did nothing to stop it, “I know my son isn't innocent. I know he was running his mouth. But when you have crowd of a hundred kids or more standing there watching the fight and none of them call the cops, or go to the school, get an adult, nothing, they just all let it happen.”
Now two days after the fight there are allegations that the video was shown to students by a substitute teacher. The victim’s mother says, “I called one of my friend and she let me talk to her daughter and her daughter told me that her teacher was playing the video for the kids in science class and told the kids not to say anything.”
Other parents say they’re outraged by the lack of judgment if these allegations are true. Holly Hartzells says, “I don't think that he's capable of teaching children if that's part of his curriculum.”
Ben Horsley with the Granite School District says they are still conducting their investigation into whether or not the video was shown in school. He says the district needs to hear from parents and kids who know what happened, “If it is indeed the case that this substitute teacher showed the video in class that is a terminable offense.”
There are still lots of unanswered questions like what will ultimately happen to that substitute teacher and all those other kids who - directly or indirectly - were involved in that fight. Those are questions we will stay on top of until we get answers for you.
If you’re dealing with bullying in your home, there are a number of organizations you can call for more information on bullying, why it happens, and how to stop it. Please see the attached links.
