Disturbing video captures student attack at Glenside Middle School

GLENDALE HEIGHTS, Ill. - A shocking incident of student-on-student assault, that some believe was fueled by bullying and bigotry, was recorded on multiple cellphone cameras inside Glenside Middle School in Glendale Heights.

Instead of intervening, a crowd of students watched as a male student attacked a female classmate, pushing her violently into a locker and causing her to fall to the floor. The videos were shared on social media with some students using laughing emojis.

The victim, a student who recently moved to Glendale Heights from Saudi Arabia, speaks no English and wears a hijab. Advocacy group CAIR Chicago has labeled the attack as both bullying and bigotry.

However, Queen Bee School District 16 Superintendent Joseph Williams said investigators have identified the students involved in the incident and there’s no indication the attack was motivated by bigotry.

"This is a serious disciplinary incident and we’re handling it as such, but we have no evidence that this was some act of intolerance related to a matter of faith," Williams said. "This type of behavior is aberrant; we completely won’t tolerate it. Our duty at this point is to protect the child through what happened, and then respond within the limits of the law, understanding that everybody here is a child."

Williams said the girl is one of 91 students who are new to the country attending school in the district. He added that the district's roughly 1,700 students speak 52 different languages.

"The police have been involved from the moment of the attack and are currently investigating this matter. We are working with our legal council to ensure that the students responsible for this misconduct are held fully accountable for their actions," Williams told parents in a statement.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.