A dad has slammed his daughter’s school after she was suspended for standing up to a bully in a shocking classroom brawl.
The school board at Taylor High in Katy, Texas have said they will “review” their self-defence policy this week after a video circulated online showing a teenage boy slapping a girl in the face in front of a class of children, before the pair end up tangled on the floor exchanging punches. A teacher initially appears to look on in stunned silence and then moves to intervene, separating the two of them. The clip led to the suspension of both pupils involved for three days – but the girl’s father has argued that she should not have been dealt the same punishment as the boy, and claims she was simply standing up for herself.
Danny Gianfrancesco told ABC 13: “I don’t want that to happen to anyone else’s daughter. That video is so hard to watch. I can’t even watch it anymore.
“There shouldn’t be so much confusion on a situation like this that is plain as day: an assault of a boy on a girl. When did that change to be OK?”
He added that daughter had been told she could be kicked off the volleyball team as a result of the fight, despite appearing to be the victim.
According to Danny, the boy seen in the video – a member of the school’s American football team – had started bullying his daughter at the start of the school year.
The girl had asked for help from her boyfriend, who is also on the football team, and he asked him to leave her alone.
But the boy refused and ended up physically confronting her in front of the class, Mr Gianfrancesco said.
He added that his family are now looking to press charges against the boy.
A statement from Katy ISD, the local school district in charge of education in the city, sent to local media said: “The district is aware of an altercation between two students at Taylor High School on Tuesday, March 25.“Katy ISD campus administration and police conducted an immediate investigation to verify the details of the altercation and contacted the students’ parents/guardians.”
“Once investigated by campus administrators and the Katy ISD Police, students whose behaviour violates the Student Code of Conduct face disciplinary consequences in accordance with Katy ISD Discipline Management, the Student Code of Conduct and law enforcement, when appropriate.
“The safety and well-being of all Katy ISD students is of the utmost importance at every District campus.”
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