Teen Beaten At School, Left With Broken Bones, County Attorney Responds To Lack Of Charges

OXON HILL, MD — A 14-year-old girl was beaten during two back-to-back attacks that happened at Potomac High School earlier this month. The six classmates who assaulted the teen were expelled but never arrested, and now her mother wants justice for her child.

Juanita Caldwell told WUSA that the assault was caught on video and shows her daughter, Kayla, being punched in the head while on the floor of a closet inside the school during the second attack. She was left with a broken nose, broken hand and bruises all over her body.

Caldwell has asked the Prince George's County State Attorney's Office to pursue arrests and charges, stating that it was a criminal act. In a statement, the Prince George's County School District said that "appropriate disciplinary action was taken" but would not confirm specifics, citing FERPA privacy laws.

“The safety of students is our top priority," the PGCPS statement read. "On Dec. 5, an incident of fighting at Potomac High School resulted in injuries to a student. Our safety and security personnel immediately responded and worked with school staff to conduct an investigation. Administrators were in contact with the student’s family throughout the process, and appropriate disciplinary action was taken as outlined in our Student Rights and Responsibilities Handbook."

Caldwell told WUSA that the attack targeting her daughter was premeditated and that other incidents had happened before.

“This is not a random act," she said. "The ringleader punched my child at Thurgood Marshall [Middle School]. This is not a random act."

Even more disconcerting for the Caldwells is that the person who attacked her lives in a nearby complex.

"Even if they’re expelled from school, they could walk around here and attack my child at any time. My child could be going to a trash can, my child could be going outside to the ice cream truck, and they can attack my child, and that’s the reason why I want the arrest, and I want them now," Caldwell said.

Prince George's County State's Attorney Aisha Braveboy spoke out about the incident Tuesday.

"Our office has been fully aware of the very devastating and unfortunate incident that occurred at Potomac HS. State’s Attorney Braveboy has been in direct contact with our school system and the family of Kayla. Currently, a complaint has been filed with the Department of Juvenile Services for its review and determination as to next steps. Should the matter be referred to our office, we will take appropriate and necessary steps to hold everyone alleged to be involved responsible for their actions," Braveboy told media.

She also said she'd welcome receiving the case because it's "critically important" that a message is sent that this behavior will not be tolerated.

“We have indicated that we would like to receive that case because it is critically important that our schools are safe and that a strong message is sent to anyone that wants to hurt others if you do it at our schools, we are going to hold you accountable,” Braveboy said.

Braveboy also said she was disappointed the case wasn't brought to her attention sooner, saying she first learned about what happened on the news.

"Being notified through the media is not an appropriate way for law enforcement to be notified of issues that occur at a school," she said during a news conference.

Friends and family of the 14-year-old held a vigil to show support for Kayla at Potomac High School in Oxon Hill Monday morning.