Fort Worth ISD, police investigate video showing 7-year-old student attacked on school bus
.jpg "A video of a Fort Worth ISD student being attacked on a school bus by another child has been shared publicly online by the victim’s mother. School district and police officials are investigating the incident.")
A video of a Fort Worth ISD student being attacked on a school bus by another student has been shared publicly online by the victim’s mother as she searches for answers for her daughter while district and police officials investigate the incident.
The video posted by Sharhonda Courtney on Facebook shows her 7-year-old daughter Dakota being hit and pulled by her hair by another girl. The mother said in the post that the bus driver dropped off her daughter, who was screaming, crying and hurt, without an explanation of what happened.
“THIS HAS TO STOP,” she wrote.
Courtney told the Star-Telegram on Friday morning that her daughter had a black eye from the attack that’s since healed, and she was getting bullied verbally for a couple of weeks leading up to the incident. Dakota, a second-grader at Leadership Academy at John T. White Elementary, has visited her school counselor every day since and has had issues sleeping at night.
The video Courtney posted on Facebook was provided to her through another student’s uncle, she said. The school principal also showed Courtney this week an almost-30-minute video from a district bus camera that revealed more detail and dialogue leading up to the attack. The other girl had verbally challenged Dakota to a fight earlier in the bus ride, and other students were preparing to record it, Courtney said. It happened as the bus approached Dakota’s stop after she grabbed her backpack to leave.
“I’m still upset about it. I just feel like I wasn’t there to protect her,” Courtney said. “What else can I do?”
Fort Worth ISD officials in a statement denounced bullying in any form and said they have been in contact with the families and students involved in the incident “to ensure that appropriate steps are taken to address the situation and to prevent any future occurrence.”
“Ensuring the safety and well-being of all students under our care is our utmost priority, and any behavior that compromises this is taken very seriously,” school district officials said. “We are committed to fostering a safe and inclusive environment for all students. Bullying of any kind is not tolerated and we are dedicated to providing schools and families with the support to address these issues effectively. As we work towards creating a positive and respectful school culture, we encourage all stakeholders to report any concerns they may have promptly. Together we can provide a safe learning environment for all.”
Fort Worth Police Department officials confirmed they were investigating “an assault that possibly took place on a school bus” last Friday, according to Officer Buddy Calzada, a spokesperson for the department. Officers from the department’s east division were dispatched to the victim’s home on Sunday in regard to an assault call.
Courtney told the Star-Telegram the incident happened last Thursday, Feb. 1.
“We are aware of the video that has been provided to us and our detectives are currently investigating,” police said.
This story was originally published February 8, 2024 at 1:03 PM.
