More fighting, bullying videos uncovered at Denver middle school
DENVER — A cell phone video shows two Denver girls pummel each other during the lunch hour at Henry World Middle School in Denver last spring.
There is another video of a nighttime fight in the same school yard. Two different girls exchange blows while other kids cheer and record it, breaking up only when police approach. You can hear them on the video say “police, police, police.”
Students recorded the fights and posted them on their Facebook pages. The comments boast about how badly the losers got beat up.
Bullying expert Barbara Coloroso says, “It’s rare that girls get involved in the physical bullying to this extent.”
She says we should not call them “fights,” we should call them “assaults.”
Click here to watch the raw video clip. WARNING: It is violent.
The most recent attack came Friday, when a 14-year-old girl was assaulted by another 14-year-old girl in one of the school classrooms.
A large group of kids lured the teacher out of the classroom while dozens of other kids rushed in to watch and record the brutal attack.
The victim says she told teachers the other girl was threatening her, but she says they did not take it seriously enough.
She says, “They should have had somebody watch her, make sure she didn’t do anything because I asked them for help a lot of times.”
The video of that assault is shocking and so are the comments about it on other students’ Facebook pages.
Most of them support the girl throwing the punches.
Coloroso says, “There are three characters in this tragedy. The bully, the bullied and the not so innocent bystanders.”
The four girls involved in the fights last spring have already been disciplined by the school.
The school and Denver Police are investigating Friday’s assault.
We’re told the girl who started the attack is now facing criminal charges and is on suspension and could be expelled.
Other students who may have threatened the victim or helped set up the assault could also be charged. And they all face potential school discipline.
The school is also doing additional training on bullying for its staff and is increasing security.
The District put out a statement saying, “Students who engage in this type of behavior and activity will face serious consequences. Bullying and any threatening behavior associated with bullying will not be tolerated at our schools.“
