Serial Bully Banned From Florida Public Schools Allowed Back

Written by Suzette Valle


In Duval County, Jacksonville, Florida, the school district's Superintendent and an appeals court judge decided in May that 14 year-old Aria Jewett's fractured skull and violent beating at the hands of another 14 year old, who also had other students stand by and videotape the incident, are not enough to have the aggressive student removed from public schools.

Melissa Thomas dropped her daughter off early at Oceanway Middle School. Jewett then walked off campus to go two blocks to a convenience store. That's when the bully, another student at the same school, "grabbed her by her hair and dragged her." 

The attorney for the victim, John Phillips, says the bully slammed Jewett's head up against a wall, "and that's the last thing the 14-year-old remembered of the attack."

According to reports, Jewett ended up in the hospital with a basal skull fracture and concussion. Making matters worse, the bully showed off this and other beatings of her victims. Several videos have cropped up on the Internet showing the teenager trouncing other students. (You can watch the graphic beating online.)

The "serial bully" was arrested and charged with felony battery. Judge Henry Davis made a landmark ruling hoping to help stop the bullying. Davis banned the girl from Duval County schools because "he found that she was a threat not just to Jewett, but to every single student in Duval County," Phillips said. "I've never heard of a judge doing that. We applaud him and it's fantastic," he excitedly added. 

But the ruling to ban the bully from public schools was overturned by a Florida appellate court judge and the school district’s Superintendent, Nikolai Vitti, who disagreed with Judge Davis citing that the bully also has a right to education. Vitti added that the bully deserved a second and even a third chance. 

In the meantime,  the "serial bully" could be back in school this fall. 

Parents Talk discusses the emotions this case brings to the fore and what, if anything, parents and schools can do to counter bully behavior so children can have a right to a safe school environment. 

Tonia Accetta: How sad to still be witnessing these disturbing events in, around and within our nation's public schools. My thoughts go back to Michael Brewer, another Florida teen that suffered life threatening burns after being set alight by another student. These boys were 15 years old at the time and like this latest victim, Aria Jewett, also attended a Florida public school, however we can find stories about school bullies nationwide. 

I commend the judge in this case for taking a harsh stand, but banning her from school does not address the issues that plague this young teen bully and only isolates her even further (was she not charged with assault?). The school district superintendent hopefully will realize that along with recognizing the right for all children to have an education, these children also have the right to a safe and healthy environment in which to learn. I hope that further actions are taken across the district to address all the kids that watched, witnessed, viewed and allowed these attacks to continue. All the kids in this story have been let down by the adults around them, could the charge fall on the parents? It is just shocking that this was not stopped after the first incident. 

Tam Dorow: Sadly bullies are everywhere. Bullies can be of any age.  Bullying varies from mean spirited verbal teasing to physical assault and, in some cases, death. Your child's best friend of many years could turn into his/her worse bully. Given the right conditions your own child could exhibit bullying behaviors.  We had a 4th grade teacher who was a bully to some of the kids in her classroom. "The average bullying episode lasts only 37 seconds. Teachers notice or intervene in only one in 25 incidents." According to Rosenthal, Beth. 2008. Bullying. New York, NY: Greenhaven Press. Unfortunately, I'm not aware of any bullying cases satisfactorily resolved by teachers or schools. 

I think it's important to learn empathy and to treat other people as humans. When I am suspicions of bullying behaviors among my children and their friends, I try to be more present in their activities. I don't always bring it out to be discussed as there are times when the kids don't want us to get too involved.  But I can reduce the opportunity for bullying to occur. I advise my children to remove themselves from disrespectful situations and people and to stand up for others. Laughing at mean spirited jokes is cheap and easy, essentially condoning and feeding bullying behaviors. We are endowed with the gift of a brain, and we try to be worthy of that gift. Think before you act.  

My husband and I believe in spending time with our children and being involved in their activities. We also get to know the other children and their parents. Our presence is a good deterrent.   

Suzette Valle: The most obvious issue in this appalling incident to me are the bully's parents and her home life. There's no substitute for present parenting. In the absence of this, every child will be at risk not just in schools, but outside as well; at the park, playground, or shopping mall. The child's parents in this case should also be made to observe some type of disciplinary program so they'll learn how to teach their child to be a civilized member of society, and make them accountable for their violent offspring as well. 

It is a miserable state of our society when such hostility is not nipped in the bud in favor of the letter of the law. While I never wish ill on any child, will it take the Superintendent's own child getting his head bashed in by the bullies he's eagerly protecting to do something about it?  

In the case of the victims, teaching kids to walk away sometimes isn't enough, and this episode clearly demonstrates that there is little in the law to safeguard victims from school bullies. However, one deterrent that is rarely enforced is a real Zero Tolerance policy. Though imperfect, if this course of action was uniformly imposed,  perhaps then we might see a true decrease of these crimes in our schools and we would have a safer learning environment for all children.