Mother Says 5-Year-Old Daughter Was Attacked on Georgia School Bus by 12-Year-Old

Students exit a school bus in front of their school in the Bronx, New York City, on Jan. 9, 2013. (Benjamin Chasteen/The Epoch Times)

A Georgia mother of a 5-year-old girl said her daughter was attacked on the bus by a 12-year-old last month, according to local reports.

Aubrey Corley said her daughter’s face was covered in bruises and scratches, WMAZ-TV reported. The girl, who was not named in the report, told her mother that she was attacked.

Namely, the 12-year-old student, whose name also wasn’t disclosed, “grabbed her throat and told her to stop breathing, grabbed her hair and slammed her head against the bus wall,” Corley told the station.

The girl was also hit with a book bag and was poked, Corley said, without elaborating.

The Monroe County Sheriff’s Office filed charges against the 12-year-old. It’s not clear if the 12-year-old is a boy or a girl.

Monroe County Assistant Superintendent Jackson Daniel also said the child has since been disciplined for the incident.

Officials are also interviewing the bus driver, and sheriff’s office and school district authorities have reviewed surveillance footage captured on the bus camera, according to WMAZ-TV.

Corley said she spoke with law enforcement officials about the bus video.

They told her that it appeared the 12-year-old tortured her daughter, the report said. Corley said that an “investigator ... told me that when she got on the bus, the whole 45-minute bus ride was complete terror and torture,” WCNC reported.

The District Attorney’s Office said it will determine whether formal charges will be filed against the preteen.

The Monroe County Sheriff’s Office filed charges against the 12-year-old. It’s not clear if the 12-year-old is a boy or a girl. A photo shows Forsyth, Georgia, where the alleged attack took place. (Google Maps)

But Corley said she wants to know why her daughter was targeted in the attack.

“She is the most loving, outgoing child. She can get along with anybody,” Corley was quoted as saying by the station.

Corley did not provide additional details about the attack.

The incident occurred in Forsyth, Georgia, which is located about 50 miles south-southeast of Atlanta.

How to Report Suspected Child Maltreatment

If you suspect a child is being abused or neglected, contact your local child protective services office or law enforcement agency so officials can investigate and assess the situation.

Most states have a number to call to report abuse or neglect. To find out where to call, consult the State Child Abuse and Neglect Reporting Numbers website.

The Childhelp organization also can provide crisis assistance and other counseling and referral services. Contact them at 1-800-4-A-CHILD (1-800-422-4453). “Every year more than 3.6 million referrals are made to child protection agencies involving more than 6.6 million children (a referral can include multiple children),” according to Childhelp.

According to Stop Bullying, a government group, 28 percent of students in the United States have experienced bullying while 70 percent of youth have seen bullying at school.