Naperville bullying incident: Video shows 7th grader being beaten up on school bus
NAPERVILLE, Ill. - There are major concerns in Naperville after a middle school student was seen on video being beaten up on a school bus.
The 7th grader goes to Scullen Middle School in the western suburb. The bullying incident happened two weeks ago.
Zayd Abouimrane, 13, was sitting in his seat when another kid can be seen on cellphone video throwing a punch. Zayd tries to fight back, but the kid hits him several times, even grabbing his neck briefly and holding him down.
Zayd told his parents he did nothing to provoke the attack and it started when a girl told a third student to smash Zayd against the bus window where he was sitting.
Zayd’s parents say the school district tells them the bus driver cannot stop these incidents and had to call for an administrator to handle the situation.
The family said the video was just sent to them a few days ago by a stranger, and now after seeing it, they want to see more. They have asked the school district to share the video from the bus camera, but the family says their requests have been ignored.
"My heart is broken," said Zayd’s mother Loubna Choukri. "I couldn’t help my son. I failed, I was feeling very bad. My son is there and I couldn’t do anything."
A spokesperson for Indian Prairie School District 204 says they immediately removed students from the bus and investigated the situation.
The family said the school punished Zayd and his attacker the day after the incident, each with a one-day suspension, until the video went viral and now the family has learned the attacker has been banned from the bus.
Naperville police say they are investigating the incident, but no charges have been filed.