A video showing a California high school student being assaulted in a locker room by two other students is sparking outrage among parents, who are demanding school officials take action.
In the video, which was posted to social media but later removed, a junior varsity football player is crying out as he was held down by another student while a third appears to hit his legs with a belt.
The assault took place in a locker room at Los Osos High School in Rancho Cucamonga, California, about 40 miles northeast of Los Angeles.
Now, the parents of the child who was hit, are demanding the school take action.
The assault occurred Oct. 11, but the mother said she did not find out about it until nine days later, after the video had already circulated on social media.
She said her son initially got in trouble for the incident and was accused of “horseplay” along with the other students.
She demanded that the school “make this a serious deal” for the sake of the school’s other students.
“I need those kids off the premises, and I need the school to make this a serious deal so that other kids ... this won’t happen to them,” she said. “These kids need a voice.”
In a statement, the superintendent of the Chaffey Joint Union High School District, which oversees the school in question, said they are taking the incident seriously.
“We were deeply troubled when we became aware of the incident and began an immediate investigation,” Supt. Mathew Holton said. “The district does not tolerate hazing or bullying of any kind and will always take appropriate corrective measures, including disciplinary action, when informed of such incidents.”
