Mooresville High School Bus Bullying: Female Students Under Fire After Video Surfaces Online

Two female teens from Mooresville High School in North Carolina have been suspended by school officials after another student used her cellphone to film the girls viciously bulling a male student on a school bus, WBTV reports.

The video, which was posted to Facebook and sent to the station, shows a girl verbally harassing the male student before aggressively pushing him out of his seat. The third student who recorded the video and posted it on a social media site is also being disciplined, the Mooresville Tribune reports.

School district spokesperson Tanae McLean told the station the actions were against school policy.

"According to our school code of conduct anything can be from in school suspension to long term suspension," McLean told WBTV.

WSOC reports that the victim of the abuse refused to fight back, and instead posted about his emotional reaction to the incident on his Facebook profile.

"It's not a big deal," he wrote, according to the station. "I refused to give the person sitting next to me on the bus any attention. My thoughts on bullying? Ignore the idiots. All they want is attention, but if they physically hurt you, not pushing or poking but hitting you, then you fight back."

District officials are still looking into the incident, but some have started an online petition demanding the girls receive a minimum of 10 days suspension, according to WSOC.

Back in October, surveillance video of 70-year-old bus driver Hattie Yvonne Branch hitting and biting her 14-year-old passenger surfaced.

While Branch initially claimed the student was forcing her to react in self-defense she later resigned from her position and was charged with child abuse.

Comments

[AnaKarla Silva]

06:57 PM on 05/09/2012

suspended? they should be expelled.

[yevsek hunter]

01:27 AM on 05/05/2012

Are the girls lesbians? That group has quite a violent reputation.

[PatA]

01:51 AM on 05/08/2012

WTH did you get that? Prove it with a verifiable link.

[yevsek hunter]

03:17 AM on 05/08/2012

Dear PatA, Google Homosexual violence, Gay violence and Lesbian violence. I have an old news article from the San Francisco Examiner that reported on a survey by the National Coalition of Anti-violence Programs on same sex domestic violence. Look them up too. The Media usually hides the LGBT aspect of violent and sexual crimes such as the Sandusky molestations, never using the words Gay or homosexual, so you have to read the reports carefully to find which ones are.

[Equinator]

01:34 PM on 06/30/2012

Wow! an abusive post following an article trying to help abuse awareness.

[Moreton]

03:47 PM on 04/01/2012

I was bullied badly for 3 years when my mother died. I still don't understand why that was a reason to pick on someone. It stopped when I snapped and belted six shades of green out of one of my tormentors in front of a large group of witnesses . That was 1979, and in Australia. Times have changed and I suspect I would be severely punished for my reaction now, but I can tell you this, no-one ever picked on me again!

[Complexchick]

01:27 PM on 06/12/2012

The bullies dont understand what they are doing until somebody snaps on them..

[seriously77]

12:35 PM on 03/28/2012

This kid was put in a lose-lose situation. If he doesn't fight back (which he didnt) he gets more hurt and picked on again. If he does fight back, he gets in trouble at school and has the reputation of assaulting a girl. Other male classmates wouldn't take too kind to that and would probably bully him some more. Not to mention, the girls, the bitches that girls are, would probably have pressed charges and he'd be facing criminal charges as well. I'm a female but I feel that if a girl/lady is assaulting a boy/man, that male has every right to do what he needs to do to defend himself.

[j37282]

06:18 AM on 04/28/2012

THANK YOU!

When friends are just sitting around talking about whatever, this topic always has a tendency to come up somehow and I always get such a hard time when I say it's OK to hit a girl if she initiates the physical contact.

And they come up with asinine reasons as to why the guy should just take it and let her get away with it, but when I point out that that wouldn't be treating women equally, they just mumble to themselves, "Well that's different."

No, it's not different! It's exactly the same!

[Kimiko Austin-Rijs]

05:28 AM on 05/04/2012

Agreed. As a child my mother would not defend us against male siblings if we were picking fights and got one. She taught my brothers to not hit or bully girls but also not to allow someone to abuse you either.

[fisch123]

11:49 PM on 03/27/2012

They might get suspended but an kid in Indiana gets expelled for tweeting the f-word from his home computer, and his comments were not abusive or directed towards anyone. How does this make any sense?

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/03/25/austin-carroll-indiana-hi_n_1378250.html

[juicybrisket]

11:36 PM on 03/27/2012

this is all the more reason the film "bully" should be unrated and everyone in the country should see it.

[PatA]

01:52 AM on 05/08/2012

They lowered the rating to PG 13. Justin Bieber campaigned to get it lowered.

[Goldzilla]

06:23 AM on 03/26/2012

Kids suck.

[WWJJD]

01:32 AM on 03/27/2012

So do many adults. It isn't just a kid thing.

[juicybrisket]

11:35 PM on 03/27/2012

hey joanie! :D

[LivelyLexie]

04:20 PM on 06/30/2012

The kids suck because their parents do.

[dors840]

02:50 PM on 03/25/2012

Bullying has Many Colors.....
I've read many of the comments on this matter. It breaks my heart that many of the comments go into racism. If we want to stop segregating ourselves from one another, lets look at the issue, not the color.The subject was bullying, Black, White, Asian and every other color/race under the sun, gets bullied. Lets look at a solution instead of exaserbating the problem. Tell me what parent, who hasn't lost a child to suicide or being murdered by someone who was bullied would not agree with trying to find a solution.
Some say it would cost to much, but what is the cost of a childs life.

Standard for All schools across the Country
A. An Adult monitor on all buses to maintain respect,order and discipline.
B. An Adult monitor in the schools to maintian respect, order and discipline.
C. Same punishment as outside of the school, if done while under school supervision.
D.Other suggestions?????

I'm sure many of you have solutions to this problem.
Lets focus on that instead of waiting to have a police officer come to your door and say your child has commited suicide because of being bullied or been murdered by someone who has been bullied. Its not to late for us to LEARN.

[j37282]

06:24 AM on 04/28/2012

I'm putting together a proposal for this for my local school, but you have to understand something:

People like us aren't going to stop your kid from getting picked on.

We just make sure it doesn't get out of hand or needlessly reckless (physical.)

For example, if kids make fun of your daughter for being fat and she is fat, then I can't really tell them to stop, because they are speaking the truth.

Now, if your daughter has a medical disorder that makes her fat, then that is different, because she has no control over it happening, but if it is just her laziness, the kids are then making fun of a flaw that your daughter could fix.

That is different than sheer racism because a child is born a certain color and there is no actual value of being white over black besides personal preference. But a kid does have the power to lose weight and has very real tangible benefits to do so outside of not being teased.

You also have to realize the effects of a monitor being as strict as you want.

If it gets to the point where adults see everything the child does, they will find a way around it. I've worked with kids who've developed their own code words so they could talk while other directors are present and be able to keep their conversations secret.

[j37282]

06:26 AM on 04/28/2012

(continued):

It was only certain words, but if something like the monitor situation were to get more widespread, this would become way more common and outside of screening every kid's backpack materials or administering a daily polygraph test, there is no way the school can break the code and that just makes things more dangerous than there were before.

Finally, this solution isn't practical in the areas that need it most.

The school I am proposing this for has an average of 130 students per grade and I'm already worrying about how I can get to know each kid well enough to be able to give each child a great deal of help and attention in helping them maximize their potential and minimize their problems.

But the schools that need help the most have 600-1,000 kids per grade.

There's NO WAY one monitor could get to know those kids well enough.

And it's difficult to make multiple monitors work because if one adult slacks off, it creates huge problems in terms of putting together situations because kids are not going to confide in multiple people and if one person "just forgets," then that messes up the whole operation.

[Katrina Conway]

01:28 AM on 05/15/2012

Remind me not to send my children to whatever school you're a monitor at. Really? You're going to justify the bullying of another student? I don't care WHAT reason the children are being bullied for, that doesn't mean that you, as an ADULT and a monitor of children's behavior, should allow it to continue. Hell, or to even happen in the first place.

I work in an industry where people try bullying tactics all the time. We live in a country where people want everything for little to nothing at all.

You want to be a GOOD influence on our school systems? Then stand up for the child you just sat there and called "lazy". Stand up for the child who's overweight or just lost a parent/sibling/someone close. Stand up for the child!!!! Don't be as lax and LAZY, as you're claiming those kids are, because you don't feel like standing up for a child who's overweight!

Seriously, you show your hypocritical nature in this post.

Oh, oops, did I just speak the truth?

Hope you see my point.

[William Deen]

01:50 PM on 03/25/2012

Good for him! Glad he handled it the way he did and respect his calm attitude. However, my own philosophy is there is only one way to handle a bully and end their bullying. Beat the hell out of the bully.

[ctaylor1968]

02:52 PM on 03/30/2012

As much as I agree, It wouldnt be right for a boy to hit a girl no matter what she was doing. He was a gentleman.

[I am just saying]

07:18 AM on 05/09/2012

Bull...too many girls count on that kind of thinking these days. And just for the record, I have never struck a female in my well over 50 years. You don't have to hit to stop an assault from a female. Just ask my ex who decided to punch me in a drunken rage. She never tried that again but I never struck or hurt her.

[Katrina Conway]

01:31 AM on 05/15/2012

That's bull. I'm a woman.. And I've ALWAYS said: If a woman is man enough to throw a punch and hit like a man, she's man enough to get hit back like a man.

Plain and simple.

So yes, it would be right for a boy to hit a girl if the girl hit first.

[GeorgeSmiley2010]

03:38 AM on 03/25/2012

Some seem to react to this that because there are no knives and there is no physical violence, that this is not serious bullying. "Why didn't he sit in another seat..?"/"Why doesn't he just speak up?"

There certainly is a point to be made about hypersensitivity, generally. I have sympathy for that position in principle.

That reasoning logically progresses to victim-blaming, however.

Learning to stand up to someone is a vital lesson. --He seems to have an understanding of that from his reaction on FB.

Learning to resist the temptation to act along with the group and to tell your friends to lay off is more necessary.

Being victimized in this (albeit, tame) way can become part of a pattern that reinforces a self-understanding of one as defenseless and weak which then informs the majority--if not all--of his relationships with peers throughout life.

On the surface, it may seem pretty innoccuous...but this is how alienation, and quiet, smoldering rage is born in people.

Hurt people hurt.

Bullying perpetuates all kinds of horrors that aren't immediately apparent.

[MorpheusXNYC]

12:10 AM on 03/25/2012

Alright. Waiting for the first racist comment in T minus 5, 4, 3, 2.....

Damn, that was fast! Racist moron "crawlin00tjfd" was in rare form going right into the " pack of wild animals" racist dogwhistle talk, while user "dew1500" chimed in the typical racial garbage and of course, invoked Al Sharpton to boot.

Not to be outdone, "GlennWatson" repeated pretty much the exact same comment as "dew1500", including the Al Sharpton bit, but without the eloquence of his other white sheet wearing friends.

Oh, you little rascally racists. When will you ever learn that we laugh when you rant and rave?
We love to drink your tears. It nourishes us and sustains us.

Can't wait till the November elections when Obama wins again. Oh, I would give ANYTHING to be there to see your faces.

The shattered psyches, the crestfallen look of abandoned hope and despair as a Black man finishes the job fixing the damage your party's done to this country over the last 10 years.

Good times.. Good times...

[Talia Rossellini]

12:49 AM on 03/25/2012

Ha! I love it! Time will leave them behind.

[GeorgeSmiley2010]

03:42 AM on 03/25/2012

Morpheus... I've been looking for you.

Fanned.

[MorpheusXNYC]

01:57 PM on 03/25/2012

lol...Awesome Matrix quote.

Well then, let me say that "You may have spent the last few years looking for me, but I have spent my entire life looking for you."

;-)

[Carla van der Meer]

08:57 PM on 03/24/2012

As someone who was viciously bullied and assaulted ( lets call it what it is ) in school, I know how painful it can be. Fortunately, I didn't have to see my humiliation posted on-line for all the world to see. My heart goes out to this young man and all victims. How is it that if someone is beaten on the street, it is assault. If I child is beaten in the hallway, oh well, give someone a detention, cause we don't want to ruin their transcripts. How many kids have their educations ruined by mean girls like this. Time for zero tolerance.

[WWJJD]

01:34 AM on 03/27/2012

Great point. Can you imagine, being treated like this in a work place or anywhere else? It is only tolerated in schools! When these bullies are taken to court and treated as they would any other place, then maybe they will think twice before doing this. I am sorry for what you went through in school, that is horrible.

[Carla van der Meer]

01:54 AM on 03/27/2012

Thank you, WWJJD, if only everyone agreed, I think we might see an end to an epidemic which is getting worse. For me, I am turning it into action and working with victims, and carrying the message that you can get through this, with support and understanding. Peace to you and yours.

[LivelyLexie]

04:23 PM on 06/30/2012

I'm sorry you went through that... NOBODY should be treated that way. Childhood (and school) should be as stress-free as possible. There's enough of that later.

[Carla van der Meer]

09:42 PM on 06/30/2012

Thanks, LivelyLexie. And you are correct that there is more than enough time for stress later. We need to make sure that childhood is fun and innocent, and free of the kind of pain that bullies dish out.

[Soror4512]

07:09 PM on 03/24/2012

Bullying kids are usually the product of bullying parents. Learned behavior.

[WWJJD]

09:45 PM on 03/27/2012

My cousin was a bully and his parents were VERY strict. When the school called (this was in the 70's) to tell them about him beating up on other kids, my Aunt went ballistic and said her child wouldn't do that. He was a bully, he would beat up on all of the younger cousins (he was the oldest) and we couldn't tell her about it because she would say "no tattling". He has grown up to be a real loser, they didn't do him any favors ignoring the issue.

[Even17]

09:34 PM on 04/13/2012

or very meek parents who never teach their children "no"
(there was a bully at my school who was one of those, her mother was a very sweet woman, but never stood up to her daughter who, in her teenage years, became physically abusive with her )

[humpfree]

05:56 PM on 03/24/2012

What if the kid fought back? Probably would result in a hate crime charge.

[CncrndCtzns]

04:37 PM on 03/24/2012

I grew up in the generation that taught us that men were never supposed to hit a woman for any reason. Even if a woman hit you, you were just supposed to "take it like man." These ideas stemmed from long dead social traditions that saw men as men and women as women. Those social mores and traditions are now long-dead and women are proving themselves to be the match for any man when it comes to viciousness, meaness and a willingness to not only bully other but carry it to violent ends. If I were raising a son today I would tell him there is no difference between men and women; women demanded the differnces be torn down and so they have been. If a girl or a boy hit my son I would advise him that he is not to be used as a punching bag for men or women and he should use the same force on either; i.e., do what is necessary to protect yourself.

[Katie Bedore]

07:35 PM on 03/24/2012

I don't believe in a man hitting a woman for no reason but if you are a man and a woman is hitting you then you absolutely have every right to defend yourself. My husband is a perfect gentleman and would never hit a woman but if he was being abused by a woman I would want him to defend himself. Too many woman use the fact that just because a guy is nice and was raised to be respectful of woman they can bully the guy. Someone needs to put these kind of women in their place.

[AmericanFool]

02:09 AM on 03/25/2012

Yes, women can be every bit as awful as men can, but I disagree with your conclusion. There are still plenty of ladies and gentlemen in this world, and we treat each other with respect. There have always been plenty of folks who lack the aspiration to better themselves, to respect themselves and others... and there always will. As a 6th grader I wouldn't slug a girl, but I sure as heck pushed one repeatedly around the play area and scared the living heck out of her when I found her bullying my brother (5 years younger than either of us). There are always... appropriate (to the age and circumstances) methods of getting your message across without losing one's self-respect.