Flip_Side Posted January 25, 2006 Share Posted January 25, 2006 This happened at a local middle school where I live. Student Attacked, severely beaten. ORLANDO, Fla. -- A mother says two bullies sent her middle school child to the hospital with serious injuries and officers said the boys could face felony charges. The Orlando mother wants to know why no adults were around to stop the fight at Odyssey Middle School. His jaw is broken, he can't talk or eat and his mom says he's in a lot of pain. He is awaiting oral and plastic surgery now at Arnold Palmer Hospital. His mom is furious it happened, and on school grounds, no less. "It's hanging, his mouth, a knot under his tongue, the teeth, profusely, just bleeding," said Lecia Godwin, the boy’s mother. She can't get over how swollen and disfigured her son's face looks. Police said eighth grader Norado Gaskins was severely beaten at Odyssey Middle School Monday morning. The resource officer said a student said he was tired of Gaskins talking about him for days. So, in a school courtyard, police said that student suddenly approached Gaskins just before the starting bell and punched him repeatedly, even kicking him. Soon a crowd gathered and another student tried to stop it. "Where were the adults? Why wasn't somebody around? Why nobody saw it?" questioned Godwin. Once the resource officer arrived, he took the fighting student away, but it didn't end there. A second student then started punching Gaskins until the assistant principal intervened. From his hospital bed, Gaskins told his mom he purposely didn't fight back, after he was suspended last year, he said, for a few days for defending himself against another bully. "He did write this out to me on a piece of paper, 'Only thing going through my head was, can't hit back, can't hit back,'" Godwin said. Gaskins' mom was even more upset to find her son in such bad shape in the school clinic, saying he needed more immediate medical attention. "He's swollen so badly and the blood that's oozing from his mouth, he was about to choke. No call to the hospital at all," she said. The principal would not talk on camera, but said all parents were being notified by letter Tuesday. The students responsible for the attack were arrested and charged with battery. They have not yet been identified. But, because of the serious bodily harm to the victim, the charge could be upgraded to aggravated battery, which is a felony. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ursa Majoris Posted January 25, 2006 Share Posted January 25, 2006 "He did write this out to me on a piece of paper, 'Only thing going through my head was, can't hit back, can't hit back,'" Godwin said. If that's true, he's been told wrong. I always told my son to never start fights, walk away if you can, but if you can't, nail the sucker and keep swinging until it's done one way or the other. Paid off for him once and he never had any bother again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AtomicCEO Posted January 25, 2006 Share Posted January 25, 2006 Two questions... 1) Kids beat up a kid, and the parent's first response is to blame the teachers? That doesn't make much sense to me. I'd blame the kids doing the punching and kicking. 2) A bully beats the crap out of him. I can buy that. But in this case, he had a previous incident with "a bully"... then this time "a bully" beats the crap out of him... gets caught and dragged away... then another kid starts kicking him while he's down? Is it possible that this kid did something to aggrevate kids? I'm not making any judgements without facts... but this first reports often don't contain all the facts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flip_Side Posted January 25, 2006 Author Share Posted January 25, 2006 Is it possible that this kid did something to aggrevate kids? I'm not making any judgements without facts... but this first reports often don't contain all the facts. 1286758[/snapback] Most likely, I doubt they would want to beat him up for no apparent reason. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Czarina Posted January 25, 2006 Share Posted January 25, 2006 Two questions... 1) Kids beat up a kid, and the parent's first response is to blame the teachers? That doesn't make much sense to me. I'd blame the kids doing the punching and kicking. 2) A bully beats the crap out of him. I can buy that. But in this case, he had a previous incident with "a bully"... then this time "a bully" beats the crap out of him... gets caught and dragged away... then another kid starts kicking him while he's down? Is it possible that this kid did something to aggrevate kids? I'm not making any judgements without facts... but this first reports often don't contain all the facts. 1286758[/snapback] Possible yes, but some kids just get a huge target painted on them at an early age because they don't fit in, one way or the other. Middle school is absolutely a pressure cooker for kids. Just brutal. And yes, teachers do get blamed for a lot of what's wrong. When stuff like this happens, it's usually lightning quick. Still, how did they manage to break it up without breaking it up. That second kid in should really have the book thrown at him. That's pathological. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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