Children beaten on Florida school bus by older kids, parents pressing charges

One video shows two boys, one significantly older and larger, repeatedly striking the third-grade girl on a school bus for Coconut Palm K-8 Academy in Homestead, Miami-Dade County. In the footage, the small girl can be seen attempting to shield her head and face from the vicious blows as she is punched over and over. The footage is from Wednesday.

In another video, the girl's 10-year-old brother could be seen also being beaten while on the same bus.

According to the siblings' upset mother, who chose to remain anonymous, the bus driver and the bus aid did nothing to help. No one intervened to stop the assault on her children, reported 7 News Miami.

"I got sent the video of my daughter getting attacked by an older kid,” the mother told Local 10 News.

The girl reportedly sustained scratches and bruises on her head, back and shoulders.

The Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Department confirmed they responded to the incident around 4:10 pm Wednesday, where they assessed two children for injuries and then released them to their parents.

"All ages are on that bus and it’s overfilled," the mother said. "It's very crazy because there's all this yelling going on in the bus and the two adults on the bus – the bus (driver) and the bus aide, only sit in the front."

She also said that her children — including her other son, a 7-year-old — have only been attending the school since January 9, and have already been having problems with bullying, and the staff is no help.

"We've had issues before with my son and the kids on the bus, and also in the cafeteria and at dismissal," the mother said. "I already drew the line and I was also on [the] phone with the district — I spoke with someone from the district — and the only thing they could advise me of was to continue to speak with the principal and pull up a bully report."

She said she is now pressing charges against the school, as well as looking at criminal charges for the assailants, the outlet reported.

"You're taking care of our children – you're still responsible for them," she continued. "That's what you have a job for. Not only to teach them, but if you see anything going on in your classroom, you don't necessarily have to physically intervene, but call somebody who can. Because if somebody’s child ends up dead, it's on the school."

"My goal is not to incriminate any other children," she added. "My goal is to make sure they have the security for the kids to make sure this doesn’t continue to happen."

In an interview with 7 News Miami, the siblings' father expressed his concern with the issue.

"This kid is just beating my daughter senseless for no reason. She can't defend herself. She's a little girl. How is this acceptable?," he said.

"At the same time that my daughter was getting beaten, the same thing was happening to my son on the other side of the bus," the victims' father added. "An assistant principal wrote us, and she said, 'Oh, I think it's time you take your kids out of the school,' and our kids aren't the problem."

According to a Thursday statement released by Miami-Dade County Public Schools, they claimed "the offender" has been arrested, and "will be charged accordingly," though at least two students were seen beating the little girl, and others were beating her brother at the same time.

"Miami-Dade County Public Schools (M-DCPS) is aware that several video clips involving students from Coconut Palm K-8 Academy are circulating on a social media platform, which promotes prohibited unsafe behavior," the school district said. "Miami-Dade Schools Police arrested the offender and they will be charged accordingly. Additionally, those involved will be disciplined according to the Code of Student Conduct. The safety and well-being 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."