NEW YORK — Video of a Long Island high school student beaten in an attack in a school hallway has been posted online, and now the teen’s father plans to sue the district, claiming they didn’t do enough to stop him. protect your daughter.
The attack inside the halls of Central Islip High School on March 17 was captured on cell phone video and later shared on social media. In the video, a 14-year-old girl is seen being thrown to the ground by another student, who then begins hitting the victim across her face. The attacker continues to hit her as the teenager tries to escape down the hallway.
The girl’s father said he first saw a video of the incident online.
“When I saw the video on social media I was even more enraged because I noticed that my daughter had no help,” Ezra Hoyte said. “You can see her, disoriented, looking for help, running around the corner. So she was sad and upset.”
Suffolk County Police said the teen suffered minor injuries in the attack, which Hoyte called unprovoked. Police confirmed that the 14-year-old alleged attacker was arrested for assault.
Hoyte said her daughter has not been back to school since the violent incident and may never return.
“Emotionally, she is distraught,” the father said.
The father of two now plans to sue Central Islip schools for $2 million, alleging that the school was negligent in failing to prevent or stop the assault.
“I just want her to be protected and a stricter trial for these children so that doesn’t happen,” he said Wednesday. “I can’t be there to protect her, and that’s why I’m a little scared and she’s scared to go back to school.”
Central Islip schools declined to comment on the incident, citing the pending lawsuit. But in a statement, the district said it “seeks to avoid the consequences of student disturbances through proactive approaches to establishing a school climate free from physical engagement.”
Another parent agreed with the district, saying that “for the most part, they’re very, very aware of everything,” saying the fight seen on video was an isolated incident.
A high school senior also said he has seen a marked decrease in fighting at school. But none of that is comfort to Hoyte, who said his daughter should have been protected from what happened.
“I was hoping she would be protected when she goes to school, so there is no reason for this to happen,” Hoyte said.
The incident comes to light just two days after cellphone videos posted to social media showed the aftermath of a stabbing inside Lindenhurst High School between two boys, which may have been by a girl. Parents at that school said the fight wasn’t terribly surprising, calling it part of a school atmosphere of bullying on social media and physical violence that school officials haven’t addressed.
Officials in Lindenhurst said the stabbing was an isolated incident. In an earlier statement, the Lindenhurst superintendent said that “safety is a top priority” at the school.
It also comes in the wake of bullying allegations from a New Jersey high school. In an incident at Central Regional High School in Berkeley Township, video, which was also shared on social media, similar to the Central Islip attack, showed several students brutally attacking a 14-year-old student as she was walking with her boyfriend. . school hallway.
The victim of that incident, Adiana Kuch, took her own life at her home just days after the alleged bullying incident in early February. Since then, more allegations of bullying at the school surfaced, as parents and students expressed their frustrations. The incidents and emotional protests led to the resignation of the district superintendent.
