NORTHWEST MIAMI-DADE, FLA. (WSVN) - A South Florida middle school student was attacked in a vicious bathroom brawl, and now the mother of the 14-year-old girl who was filmed being beaten is speaking out.
Felicia Jones, the mother of the girl seen in the video being repeatedly pummeled by another girl, spoke with 7News on Friday. She said she’s concerned for her daughter’s safety.
“She could have got hurt, she could have got killed in that bathroom,” she said.
Jones said her daughter was being bullied and was lured into a girls bathroom at Thomas Jefferson Middle School in Northwest Miami-Dade, where was forced to fight.
“As a mother, it hurt me inside to watch this video, to see my daughter fighting in the bathroom, somebody planning to ambush her and sending her to the bathroom to fight her,” she said. “That’s wrong, and it’s not right.”
The incident happened on Thursday at the school, located at 525 NW 147th St.
“They’re not watching these kids,” said Jones.
Jones said her daughter, who is an honor roll student, was told that the girls needed to talk. But when the teen got into the bathroom, she saw something else was being planned.
In the video, Jones’ daughter was seen waving her hands, as if to say “no,” and tried to avoid a fight by saying, “We can talk, let’s not fight.”
The other girl in the video responds with, “Yeah, come on.”
The three girls in the bathroom were ready with their cellphones to capture video of the whole thing.
They start throwing punches, and the 14-year-old was thrown into the wall, then repeatedly punched in the head.
According to Jones, those girls have been hateful to her daughter for years, and they have since posted the video on social media.
The concerned mother said the school needs to do more in order to protect students.
“That’s not safe. Y’all say this is a good school. Y’all say you have a good security. That’s not good security, that’s not safe,” she said. “Come on, you’ve got three girls against one. One recording, she in there fighting, like cats and dogs. These young ladies are supposed to be getting an education, not fighting.”
Jones went to the school on Friday to meet with the administration. She said they were not aware that the fight happened.
Miami-Dade County Public Schools later released the following statement:
Miami-Dade County Public Schools (M-DCPS) is aware of a video clip involving students from Thomas Jefferson Biscyane Gardens K-8 Academy engaging in a physical altercation on campus yesterday. We are also aware of an altercation caught on video involving these same students at a park last night that occurred off-campus and after school hours. The school’s administration has reviewed the matter and the students involved will be disciplined according to the Code of Student Conduct. At M-DCPS, the well-being and safety of our students is of the utmost importance. This school district goes to great lengths to promote the values of restraint and respect as well as using social media responsibly. We ask that parents reinforce these principles at home.
M-DCPS
Jones said she will back at the school next week for another meeting.
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