JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A local mother is outraged after she says her daughter was attacked at school and still was suspended.
She says it happened at Sandalwood High School Wednesday morning and she is questioning the school district's policy.
“She called me and said 'mom I have been in a fight',” Lisa Acker said about her daughter 17-year-old senior Riauna Campbell. “I just started crying and I’m like this is mutual? The way she is dragged all up and down the school. They kept hiding behind the student code of conduct."
Duval County Schools code of conduct assigns punishments based on levels of various infractions.
On page 15 of the 57 page code is section 209 where it describes mutual combat and mutual altercations with a punishment of a one to three-day day suspension.
Scott Shine of the Duval County School Board disagrees with the district policy on “mutual” and believes students have a right to defend themselves.
A spokesperson for the School District sent Action News Jax this statement:
“The video clip shared with the media does not provide a complete snapshot of the incident that occurred this morning. While we are prohibited by state and federal student confidentiality laws from discussing the specifics of this incident, our review does not substantiate the claims being made to the media. Physical altercations on our campuses are simply unacceptable and students who violate the Code of Conduct are disciplined accordingly. We understand that parents and guardians may not always agree with the outcome of an investigation. As such, there is a platform in place for any parents who wishes to appeal a disciplinary action. This includes providing written documentation of the appeal to the principal and contacting the appropriate Region Superintendent. For more information about the Appeals Procedure, please review page 42 of the Elementary Student Code of Conduct and page 46 of the Secondary Student Code of Conduct. Both students and parents play a vital role in contributing to the safety of school campuses, and we encourage parents to talk with their students about these incidents and the importance of positive conflict resolution strategies.”
Acker said her daughter suffered bruises on the outside, but she’s worried about the scars inside.
“She has to return to that same school on Monday after suspension. I don’t feel safe that this won’t happen again,” Acker said.