‘These kids planned this’: Mom says daughter, 13, was attacked by group of students
A mother is outraged after she said a group of students attacked her middle schooler on Tuesday.
KiKi Burton told Channel 9 her 13-year-old daughter, who attends Kennedy Middle School, was accused of being a snitch. She said five students decided to make an example of her and the result was a brawl.
Burton sent Channel 9 video of the beating, which showed it wasn’t a fair fight -- five students against one.
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“She’s sore and she hurts,” Burton said. “Went to the hospital this morning because she was having problems with her ribs and the back of her neck.”
She said she doesn’t believe the fight began spontaneously.
“Also walk into the classroom with hoodies and their faces covered, so it was pre-meditated,” she said. “These kids planned this.”
Not only was it five against one, but the majority of those involved in the fight were boys. The incident happened Tuesday and word about it spread like wildfire, leaving many Kennedy parents asking the same question.
“Where is the adults?” asked parent Tabatha Alliston. “What happened to having a teacher in the school? What happened to a teacher being in the area?”
From the video, we couldn’t tell if a teacher was in the classroom. But Burton is convinced there was one and asked the administration about it.
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“I also asked that -- why didn’t the teacher intervene? And if you listen to the video, you did not hear the teacher ask for help or call for help,” she said.
Given what happened, Burton said the only way she will allow her daughter to return to school for end of the year testing is if a relative or friend can tag along. She said she has no confidence that Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools can protect her.
“I worked for CMS for almost 10 years. These children are not safe,” she said. “I also was a BMT as well for CMS. They are not protecting these children as they should.”
Channel 9 reached out to CMS for comment. The district shared a statement that reads, “As always, the safety and well-being of our students and staff is our top priority. This behavior is disruptive to learning and a violation of the CMS Student Code of Conduct. All students involved will be disciplined accordingly.”
Burton thinks that should also apply to the teacher as well.
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