OHIO: Gay Student Assaulted By Bully, Attack Caught On Cell Phone

[WillParkinson]

OHIO: Gay Student Assaulted By Bully, Attack Caught On Cell Phone

This week, a 15-year-old teenager was severely beaten in his high school class room for being gay. The attack occurred at Union-Scioto High School in Chillicothe, Ohio, and was caught on camera as fellow class members watched one teen wait for the victim to enter the room, push him to the ground and continually punch him in the face. Two days prior to the attack, the perpetrator harassed the victim via Facebook regarding his sexual orientation. The victim has suffered a possible concussion and dental damage. The attacker was suspended from school for just three days.

Union-Scioto has no policy in place that specifically protects students from being bullied or attacked based on sexual orientation or gender identity. The Union-Scioto Local School District does have a policy that prohibits harassment based on sex, race, color, national origin, religion, disability, among others, but it does not specifically protect against harassment based on sexual orientation or gender identity.

http://joemygod.blogspot.com/2011/10/ohio-gay-student-assaulted-by-bully.html

[joeybee12]

1. who shot the video...shouldn't that person be suspended for not

intervening?

[dtexdem]

2. Interesting question, because making a video record is another form of intervention.

And it could be important when this case comes to a court.

So the school doesn't have a rule against felonious assault?

[WillParkinson]

5. I'm not certain it's intervention...

When the video was posted to Youtube and not given to someone in authority.

[dsc]

6. I think it depends

I have no idea who shot the video and then posted it. But I can see both malicious and non malicious scenarios for that behavior. If I were a student in that situation and an adult was in the room and presumedly calling for back up I can see where I might tape the fight for evidence. In most schools there is a zero tolerance policy where nearly always both participants in a fight are suspended. Such a tape would make it clear that the victim didn't fight back at all and thus save him from a suspension.

[tblue]

3. Write the principal:

High School Principal: James Osborne [e-mail] <[e-mail]>

[Divine Discontent]

4. +1!