MINOCQUA, Wisc. (WJFW)- A Lakeland Union High School mom is keeping her kid out of school after she was attacked in a girls' restroom. The district administrator called the action "deplorable" and says the school will making changes to create a safer environment.
A video shows a student grabbing another student by the hair and then punching her on the ground. Meanwhile another student filmed the attack, and at the end of the video one of the students standing by watching gave the attacker a high five.
The victim's mother told WJFW that she is homeschooling her daughter after the attack.
District Administrator Robert Smudde confirmed the fight happened on Wednesday, May 17th. He says the attacker and other individuals involved will be disciplined.
The following is a statement from District Administrator Smudde:
"On Wednesday, May 17th, 2023 an incident occurred at Lakeland High School resulting in a physical altercation between two females in the women’s restroom. Furthermore, there were several students that witnessed the incident and one student who recorded the incident on their cell phone. The perpetrator and individuals involved in the physical altercation and video, will be disciplined in accordance with Lakeland Union High School Policy and Procedures.
In no way does Lakeland Union condone the use of physical violence for any reason, and those who engage in such behavior will not be welcome in our school building as our primary focus is keeping students and staff safe. Though incidents like this are extremely rare, we believe we need to be and do better for our school community.
We have identified several specific things on this date that contributed to this incident occurring. First off there were a large number of substitute teachers in the building and several events going on throughout the school day. There was more student movement than on a “regular” school day, coupled with staff that did not know the students, aided in students being out of class when they should not have been. Furthermore, we have clearly seen through the evidence that cell phone usage is a major contributing factor in student to student communication creating this opportunity for physical aggression.
I as the District Administrator take responsibility for creating a better and safer environment for our students and staff. We will be making changes to our policy and our practices going forward as these incidents are deplorable and we have an obligation to limit such behavior to the extent possible.
Again, we take safety of our school incredibly seriously, and that responsibility rests on our ability to control our school environment. Those who believe such behavior as physical violence was warranted are wrong, that is never the correct outcome. If such behavior occurs, students will be disciplined to the fullest extent of our ability."
A student we talked to said incidents like these happen maybe once or twice a year.
Some parents we talked to said these incidents have been happening for years and even generations.