PARK CITY, Utah (ABC4) – Parents in Park City are fired up after a video of a ninth-grader physically assaulting another student is going viral.
Many parents are calling for that boy to be expelled and are unhappy with the district’s response so far. The incident happened during a passing period at Treasure Mountain Junior High on Thursday.
ABC4 cannot identify the boy involved in the assault due to his age.
The video, which has started to go viral on social media, shows one student forcing another student into a trash can before throwing him to the ground. The student is then picked back up before being slammed into the ground once again.
Parents at the school are now speaking out, fearing for their childrens’ safety.
“Last night my daughter came to me and she was very upset at what she had witnessed at school yesterday,” one concerned parent of a Treasure Mountain Junior High Student said.
“My son said the most traumatizing part was the sound the child’s head made when it hit the ground,” another concerned parent of a Treasure Mountain Junior High Student said.
“Many of you have reached out and expressed your concern, so please know that we are handling it,” Treasure Mountain Junior High Principal Caleb Fine said regarding the assault.
But some parents are skeptical, claiming this is not the first time this boy has fought a student at the school.
“This is not an isolated incident. This has happened for years and this is certainly an escalation, but this kid is dangerous and he needs help,” stated one of the moms we spoke to.
Many parents believe the district will protect him as his parents are well-known in the community.
“He has stated multiple times that he can’t be touched because of who his parents are. His father is very well known in the police department and his mother is a news anchor in town.”
Several parents told ABC4 News the boy posted the video of himself fighting the other student on Snapchat.
“The attacker actually posted the video himself and he was proud of what he did.”
Parents said the boy who was attacked is new to the Park City School District.
“Parents are talking about this and we as Park City parents are upset, this should not happen. This poor student is brand new to our school district. He just moved to town, it’s his fourth day…he’s trying to make friends and this is the welcome we give him. It is unacceptable.”
Fine said no staff members nor any other students were injured during the incident.
Caleb Fine said the school is following school board policy and will work hard to make sure it is a safe environment for students.
While he assures parents that it will be taken care of, many parents believe the response from the district thus far doesn’t cut it.
“It did not give anymore much information or maybe security in knowing there’s going to be some consequences,” one concerned parent of a Treasure Mountain Junior High Student said.
“It is awful, it’s horrific, this boy was brutally attacked. I imagined a form of bullying, which is not okay, but what I imagined and what I saw in the video are completely different and the school’s response did not match what I saw in the video and I am furious,” another concerned parent of a Treasure Mountain Junior High Student said.
Some parents said unless the boy is expelled they don’t feel comfortable sending their kids to school.
“I don’t think it’s our responsibility to send our children to school every day and have that be their classmate and have the potential for what’s to happen tomorrow or next week in the lunchroom and our kid is the one being thrown on the ground on the floor.”
The Park City School District released the following statement on the incident:
On August 26 at approximately 1:00 P.M. a physical altercation occurred at TMJH. Unfortunately, a student on our campus today chose to act in ways that significantly disrupted school operations and threatened the safety and order of our school. Swift action was taken by school staff to address the situation and parents of the students involved are in communication with the school. The safety of our students and staff is our top priority. Inappropriate behaviors that threaten school safety are handled immediately and firmly in accordance with our policies and procedures. TMJH leadership encourages you to talk with your child/children about how they may be feeling and the importance of expressing themselves in appropriate ways at school. Counselors are available if your child has questions or concerns they wish to share with school personnel. Park City School District schools work actively to support each student, investigates behavioral incidents, includes the involved students’ parents or guardians in communication about any incident related to their child, and ensures the documented incidents are handled swiftly and firmly in accordance with policy and regulations. We look forward to welcoming all students back tomorrow for a great day of teaching and learning. Thank you for your continued support of TMJH
There’s still no word on what the consequences will be from the district. The Summit County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the incident.
*Due to the sensitive nature of this story, we have removed the original video by request*
