LAKELAND, Fla. – A video showing a boy being punched, kneed and thrown in a locker room attack that lasted about three minutes at a Central Florida school has caused outrage online.
Lauren Springfield took to Facebook Wednesday to detail the assault on her son in a post that has since been shared more than 5,000 times and has garnered more than 900 comments.
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She said someone from the school called her Tuesday saying that her son was in the nurse's office, but wouldn't say why.
"I got to the school to find a welt on my son’s forehead and back of head, a cut above his eyebrow and bruising all around his eye. At the time, we didn’t think it was any more than a scuffle and still due to his injuries, we decided to press charges on the boy - at this time we had no clue others were involved," Springfield wrote in the post.
She said she was later sent a video of the attack, which showed other boys holding down her son and encouraging the assailant during the beating.
"This could have ended much differently, our child has one kidney and after getting kneed several times this could have resulted in permanent damage. He was thrown on the floor over a bench, head his head all while others watched. And all (administrators) can tell me is they will handle it - this is unacceptable," Springfield wrote.
Polk County Public Schools Superintendent Jacqueline Byrd held a news conference Thursday morning to address concerns about the video filmed at Blake Academy in Lakeland. She said although she can't name the students involved or provide disciplinary details, she did say that students will be punished according to the code of conduct.
“This shouldn’t happen to any kid. No kid should come to school and that happen,” Byrd said.
The teacher who was supposed to be supervising the children is being investigating and could face disciplinary action.
The Lakeland Police Department is conducting an investigation. A department spokesperson said one student involved has been charged with simple battery, which is a misdemeanor.
No further information was immediately available because the investigation is ongoing.