A disturbing video of a young girl being attacked by fellow students on a school bus has surfaced online, and the child's mother claims that even though there were two adults on the bus at the time, no one did anything to help her daughter. The incident occurred on what is being described as an "overcrowded" school bus carrying students from Coconut Palm K-8 Academy in Homestead, Florida.
"Emotionally, I couldn't even last two minutes. I couldn't look at the video. Like any mother, I am destroyed. I fell to my knees and at that moment I said I have to do something," the child's mother, who has only been identified by the name Jenni, told CBS News.
The third grader apparently was attacked by at least two other students.
In the video that circulated online, viewers can see a disturbance on the school bus. Children can be heard yelling and screaming, and then it appears that one young boy gets up and begins punching the girl, who is sitting in her seat. Then another larger boy gets involved and begins punching the child repeatedly in the head and neck. The first boy begins hitting her again.
The child hunches over in her seat with her backpack in front of her and one arm over her head as she is being attacked. It appears that a child sitting somewhere in front of her on the bus recorded the video. It's unclear what led up to the incident.
Jenni says her kids just recently started attending the school.
The mother, who says her children just started attending Coconut Palm K-8 Academy three weeks ago, told CBS News that her 10-year-old son also was hit by another child during the same bus ride.
"Another kid came out of nowhere and hit my son and he fell to his knees, and they started to hit him," she said.
Bullying is reportedly an ongoing problem at this school. Jenni had reportedly just called the school earlier the same day to report bullying. And her children are not only students who have been affected.
Another mom says her child was bullied during PE.
Another mom, who asked to remain anonymous, told CBS News that her son has been bullied at Coconut Palm K-8 Academy as well.
"My son was bullied at that school, since the beginning of the school year," she said. "There was an incident during P.E. and she said that what happens in P.E. stays in P.E. and that to me was just bewildering," she said, indicating that was the response she got after being ignored by teachers and adminstration for weeks.
She eventually pulled her child out of the school.
Jenni is pressing charges against the school and the students who attacked her children.
"All ages are on that bus, and itâs overfilled," Jenni told Local News 10. "Itâs very crazy because thereâs all this yelling going on in the bus and the two adults on the bus â the bus (driver) and the bus aide, only sit in the front."
She believes the district and the school are failing students and need to be held accountable.
"Youâre taking care of our children â youâre still responsible for them," she said. "Thatâs what you have a job for. Not only to teach them, but if you see anything going on in your classroom, you donât necessarily have to physically intervene, but call somebody who can. Because if somebodyâs child ends up dead, itâs on the school," she continued.
"My goal is not to incriminate any other children," the mother added. "My goal is to make sure they have the security for the kids to make sure this doesnât continue to happen."
At least one arrest has been made.
According to CBS News, a 14-year-old student has been arrested in connection with the assault.
"Miami-Dade Schools Police arrested the offender and they will be charged accordingly. Additionally, those involved will be disciplined according to the code of student conduct," read a statement from the Miami-Dade Public Schools, per CBS News.
"This violence has got to stop. Itâs starting from somewhere," said the mother who was forced to remove her child from Coconut Palm K-8 Academy, according to Local News 10. "Parents need to do more and pay more attention to their children that are causing these violent acts."
