Parents concerned after child bullied, beaten up at Baker middle school

A mother says bullying is an issue at her children's middle school in Baker County.

Cassandra Amerson Washington said her 13-year-old son recently had to have surgery after his nose was broken by a classmate at Baker County Middle School.

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Washington said her son was beaten so badly that the student accused of hurting him is being charged with battery.

"He had a broken nose. He receives surgery to correct it. He had knots and he had knots in the back of his head and he still has bruising on his hands, which are considered defense wounds," Washington said.

She said she has complained about bullying before.

Action News Jax took those concerns to the district and received this response from David Crawford, director of auxiliary services in school safety: "Prior to this incident the school had not received any concerns from the alleged victim or their family regarding the alleged perpetrator or associated with this matter."

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Another mother, who did not want to be identified, said she also had complained about bullying at the same school last year.

"My son was talking suicide. At this point, we were, like, we don't care how much it costs. We're gonna put them in private school at this point," one parent said.

Washington's sister said she has a daughter that was a previous student and bullied daily.

"After seeking all the help that I could, I had to pull her out of school. That changed her life completely," said Daphne Weeks about her daughter. 

She said that looking back, she realized there is more that she could have done.

"This is about saying the problem. We have a problem. We have to, we have to acknowledge it so we can all act as a community as parents. His school officials and teachers need to work together to fix it," Weeks said.

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Action News Jax reached out to the district about Washington's concerns and got the following statement:

<em>As regarding the school's handling of the matter; the student was carried immediately to the school nurse after the altercation.  She is a licensed nurse in the State of Florida.  She provided appropriate levels of medical care at our site.  The nurse contacted the mother and shared with her that her child had been injured. Ms. Amerson was met by an educational leader upon her arrival and carried to her son.  Ms. Amerson took custody of her son at that point. </em>

<em>The school conducted a thorough administrative review of the incident that transpired between the two students.  The administration adhered to the guidelines of the school's student code of conduct in their handling of this issue. </em>

<em>The next item in this request was for information regarding prior concerns voiced about the alleged perpetrator.  Prior to this incident, the school had not received any concerns from the alleged victim, or their family regarding the alleged perpetrator associated with this matter.</em>

<em>The third item is relative to the parent's concern for her student's safety upon return to the Baker County Middle School because of a perceived lack of assurance from the school regarding her son's safety.  As noted above, the Baker County Middle School moved on this matter immediately after its occurrence.  </em>

<em>Given that the school had not received any prior communication from this student or his family about concerns with the alleged perpetrator, they could only act after the fact in this matter.  Again, the follow-up administrative intervention was immediate, and the resultant action, based on the administrative review, was consistent with the school's student code of conduct.  </em>

<em>The Baker County School District does not tolerate behavior involving reprisal or retribution toward staff or students who have sought relief from abusive behavior.  We stand ready to assist this family in any appropriate manner to secure the health and wellbeing of their student.</em>

<em>Lastly, there have been 8 formal bullying complaints addressed by the Baker County Middle School this year.  We are glad to provide information that will assist our community in understanding the priorities and commitment of our District to all of our families regarding the important area of student safety. "</em>

Cox Media Group