A 13-year-old Denton ISD student was attacked on her bus ride home by adults last month, and authorities are investigating the incident, which was captured on video.
The Bettye Myers Middle School student identified as Nicole by CBS News Texas was attacked on and off her school bus by several adults.
Two videos obtained by CBS show the student being attacked by females who punched and kicked her, pulled her hair, and put her in a chokehold.
The attack was purportedly not a surprise, as Nicole had heard rumors that a student wanted to fight her, which led to her allegedly reporting the rumors to the assistant principal and a school counselor. The school staff told Nicole that they had spoken with the student.
The initial attack happened as the bus was leaving the school. The victim only realized that an adult was attacking her after the student who had threatened her shouted out, “Mom.”
After the adults got off, they followed the bus to the student’s drop-off point to attack her again.
“I was scared,” Nicole told CBS, fighting back tears. “I was wishing I had my Mama ’cause nobody helped me.”
Fighting back tears, Nicole’s mom told CBS that “no one did anything” to help her daughter, who was taken to the hospital following the attack.
Nicole’s mother questioned the bus driver’s actions, noting he should have locked the door, phoned for help, and waited for the police to arrive. Had he done so, Nicole’s mother claimed the adults would not have been able to get onto the bus and assault her child or follow the bus and continue assaulting her.
Additionally, Nicole’s mother noted that when the adults attacked her daughter after she got off the bus, the bus driver proceeded to drive off, which can be seen in the video.
The incident echoes an attack visited upon a Weatherford ISD student by an adult on a school bus back in 2022. Two female parents boarded a bus and got involved in an altercation between students, assaulting one of them, as previously reported by The Dallas Express.
An instance of an adult attacking a student was also logged in Dallas ISD, where a district staff member allegedly punched a student in the face. Charges in that incident were ultimately dropped in February.
Denton ISD officials told CBS they could not share details regarding student discipline but noted that the student who allegedly threatened Nicole would not be returning to the campus.
The district sent a statement to CBS, saying:
“This horrible video depicts unacceptable conduct Denton ISD never condones, including an adult unlawfully boarding a school bus … Per district policy, the driver immediately called dispatch and requested law enforcement. Drivers are not authorized to use their personal cell phones while on the bus to ensure safety. Police responded to this incident, and this is currently an ongoing, active investigation by the Denton Police Department centered around an adult unlawfully boarding the bus and injuring a child.”
Nicole told CBS that she received a three-day suspension for defending herself.
“I feel like Denton ISD failed my child. I could be a parent planning funeral arrangements if they would have had a weapon and got on that bus with a knife or a gun,” Nicole’s mother said, per CBS.
Nicole said she was traumatized by what happened.
“No, I’m not okay,” she said. “I got hurt physically, but not just physically, emotionally, and I have to sit up at night crying about it, asking God why. But I also pray for them. My mom taught me just because they did you wrong — it’s all for a reason. It’s all for a purpose.”
A Denton police spokesperson told CBS that the case is being investigated.
