An Ohio school district is investigating after video circulated online showing a male student attacking a 10th-grade girl on a school bus.
The incident took place Friday, Nov. 6, as students were being driven to Mahoning Valley Community School, a public high school in Youngstown serving grades 7 through 12.
In the video, apparently recorded by another student, a boy repeatedly punches and kicks the girl. Some students can be heard laughing. When he puts her in a chokehold, someone tells him to stop.
The girl’s stepfather said he learned the details on Wednesday, five days after the assault. She was taken to a hospital to have her injuries assessed.
Both students attend Mahoning Valley Community School through an arrangement with the Boardman Local School District, which also provides transportation for the school’s students.
Boardman officials apologized for not notifying parents sooner. The district said bus staff had alerted school administrators, but the seriousness of the incident was not clearly conveyed. It also said no student injuries had been reported, and that it is reviewing its communication and transportation procedures.
The district said the driver could not pull over immediately but stopped shortly after the altercation began. A bus aide has been placed on leave while the investigation continues.
The girl’s stepfather said the aide should have been watching the students rather than leaving that role to someone recording on a phone. He described the situation as a serious failure to communicate and protect the students.
Mahoning Valley Community School Superintendent Jennifer Merritt said the school was concerned by claims that it had ignored the incident or failed to respond. She noted that privacy laws limit what schools can disclose about individual students and disciplinary actions, adding that those limits should not be taken as evidence of inaction.
