Middle school students have expressed frustration over the minimal efforts made by school staff to intervene during a recent fight that was shared widely on social media in Oklahoma.
In response to public outcry, officials from Bixby Public Schools issued a statement emphasizing the need to consider appropriate boundaries when male staff attempt to diffuse fights involving female students.
The victim, who goes by Matty, shared her feelings in an interview about the incident at Bixby Middle School, which went viral. “I hate it. Honestly, it’s the worst,” she explained, adding, “I was knocked out. It hurts a lot.”
Her mother, Brittany Yates, expressed her anger over the inadequate response from school personnel and revealed that she had been attempting to get officials to address her complaints regarding bullying. “That video was, um, really hard for me to watch as a mom,” Yates admitted.
She went on to describe a troubling pattern of threats and verbal bullying, stating that Matty had faced physical assaults and sexual harassment from multiple individuals on several occasions.
Matty, who regained consciousness after being knocked out during the fight, recounted, “I was like grabbing his hand and asking him to help me while she was still grabbing my hair. He didn’t help me at all.”
A police report was filed concerning the incident, leading to the intervention of two attackers. Despite the traumatic experience, the victim is seeking counseling and remains hopeful. “I love going to Bixby. I love school. I love my friends. I want to go there next year. I don’t want to deal with this again,” she shared.
Bixby is located in the northeastern part of Oklahoma and has a population of around 28,000.
