MORENO VALLEY, Calif. – Two California middle schoolers are under arrest after a fight that went viral on Facebook. The assault left one child hospitalized in critical condition. Now, parents and community members say the bullying at the school must stop.
Passionate parents put pressure on staff at landmark middle school in Moreno Valley at a packed meeting Wednesday evening. They demanded answers about how the school district really handles bullying two days after 13-year-old Diego was attacked during a passing period on campus and injured so badly he’s still in critical condition.
One parent asked, “Was the school aware Diego was being bullied like was mentioned on social media and did they do anything about it?”
The principal and district officials said they were looking into that. The crowd repeatedly told them to answer the question.
Someone close to the victim told KCBS that just last week the school was made aware that Diego was being bullied and that this was not an isolated incident
Other parents, like Leonardo Gonzalez, shared similar stories. “Bullying in Moreno Valley is an ongoing issue and every time it’s brought up it’s swept under the rug,” Gonzalez explained.
Sandra Murphy said, “Come up with a solution! And it’s year after year.”
Murphy said she’s been going to Moreno Valley Unified School Board meetings for three years and sees the same parents reporting the same bullies. “And they come back two or three months later with the same problems.”
District leaders discussed how complicated education codes and state laws are when it comes to specific consequences for bullying but that they take all bullying reports seriously.
Angel Adams said when she used the protocols in place to report her granddaughter was being bullied at an elementary school in the district this was their response: “Hah! We’ll get back to you.”
While parents and school officials didn’t come to an agreement on how, specifically, this attack could have been prevented, many agreed that they needed to work together while Diego continues to fight for his life.
In March, at the same middle school where Diego was attacked, another violent incident involved some 50 students. Deputies had to fire pepper balls into the melee to break it up.
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