Student With Special Needs Bullied On Video At Anne Arundel County High School

SEVERNA PARK, MD — A student with special needs was bullied on video recently at Severna Park High School, officials announced. Reports said the bully was disciplined soon after.

The incident happened Jan. 10 around 1:30 p.m. Somebody sent the video wirelessly to "a multitude of students and staff" by using the iPhone's AirDrop feature.

Principal Lindsay Abruzzo said the accused student used "language that is beyond inappropriate." Abruzzo accused the student of using "a racial epithet and phrases that are belittling and demeaning to a person with special needs."

The accused student also implied a threat of harm to the student with special needs, the principal alleged.

"As a school community, we must never condemn children," Abruzzo said in a letter to families obtained by WMAR. "However, I do condemn the actions in this video in the strongest possible terms. They are unacceptable anywhere, especially in a school setting where part of our mission as a collective community is to cultivate students who are kind, accepting, and inclusive."

The principal thinks the video was taken at an earlier date by somebody who was not the victim or the accused student. The administration said it is still trying to identify who took the video and who AirDropped it. Abruzzo does not know if the recorder and the sender are the same person.

"Put simply, we are better than this," Abruzzo said in the letter. "To that end, I want to applaud the many students and staff members who rushed to our administrative offices today to make us aware of this situation. Their quick and decisive action – and, quite frankly, their anger at the situation – shows that the behavior depicted in this video is not reflective of our overall student population. It is critically important, however, that we all channel our anger in a positive direction to properly support all of our students and our community at large."

The principal said she "will take aggressive and appropriate disciplinary action."

The accused student has since been disciplined, WJZ reported Friday. The news outlet said Anne Arundel County Public Schools couldn't specify the exact punishment, however.

WJZ said the student handbook lists some disciplinary possibilities as suspension, paying restitution and temporary removal from class.

Abruzzo urged families to discuss this situation with their students to condemn these actions and to seek new information.

The principal also reminded families that resources are available through school counselors and the student services team. Students can report any safety concerns to a responsible adult or the anonymous Safe Schools Maryland Tip Line, which is available 24/7 at 833-MD-B-SAFE.

"While our administrative team has been focused today on this situation, I assure you we will soon turn our attention to ways to address this with our student body and to continue to address issues such as this because one incident is too many," Abruzzo said. "I welcome your partnership in that effort."