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A school district in Youngstown, Ohio, is investigating after a viral video showed a male student repeatedly punching, kicking, and putting a 10th-grade girl in a chokehold on a school bus headed to Mahoning Valley Community School on Friday (November 6). The video, filmed by another student, captured other students laughing during the incident until a bystander told the attacker to stop.
Both students are enrolled in Boardman Local School District and attend Mahoning Valley Community School through a service agreement, which also covers bus transportation. The district and school confirmed the incident took place within Youngstown’s city limits.
The district released a statement apologizing for "the delay in promptly notifying parents," and admitted that while bus staff notified school administrators, "the severity of the incident was not adequately communicated." The district stated that "no student injuries were reported following the incident," but the family of the girl said she suffered bruises and was taken to the hospital for examination.
The girl's mother told police her daughter had been bullied before the assault, including name-calling and threats. On the day of the incident, the situation escalated when something was thrown at a student and slaps were exchanged, leading to the physical attack. The police report, though heavily redacted, describes the girl as being "aggressively assaulted" by the male student.
During the incident, the bus driver did not stop immediately, citing safety concerns, but pulled over shortly after. The bus aide present has been placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation.
The investigation is being conducted jointly by Youngstown and Boardman Police, Mahoning Valley Community School, and Boardman Local Schools. School officials said they are "reviewing both notification and transportation procedures to determine what happened and whether improvements are needed."
Superintendent Jennifer Merritt of Mahoning Valley Community School stated that the school is limited in what it can publicly share due to student confidentiality laws, but assured the public that "the inability to publicly discuss these matters should not be mistaken for indifference or inaction."
The girl's family filed a police report on Thursday afternoon, five days after the incident. The investigation remains ongoing, with multiple agencies involved in determining what led to the assault and if additional actions will be taken.