11-Y-O GIRL BADLY BEATEN BY STUDENTS

A female student from a Corporate Area primary school was allegedly ganged and beaten unconscious by her schoolmates last Thursday.

The child's mother, Carol, told THE STAR that the child received injuries to her head and had to spend a night at the Bustamante Hospital for Children under observation over the weekend.

"She told me she was playing a game with her classmates, and during that time, the little boy said that he didn't like his girlfriend anymore and was interested in my daughter. My daughter said she don't like him because him dunce. So, since last week, she told me that the girl was picking on her, and I told her don't pay it any mind," she said.

According to the Carol, she didn't make much of the situation until last Thursday, when her daughter told her that she was beaten unconscious by a set of students.

"She say, 'Mommy, dem beat me up,' and then she showed me two bruises to the side of her head. She told me that when she fell to the ground, she didn't hear or feel anything, but she knew they were beating her hard before. She said when she woke up, she was inside an office with a lot of police, and she walked home after," she said.

Carol said that she contacted one of the girls and her father, and the girl admitted that she had kicked her daughter repeatedly in the head.

TRAUMATISED

Carol said that her daughter, who is still in the process of recovering from another horrifying encounter, is traumatised by the recent incident. On December 24, 2016, the then nine-year-old was shot three times during a home invasion in Kingston. Her stepfather was killed in the attack.

Carol said that she visited the school last Friday seeking the names of the other students who were involved in the altercation, but she is not pleased with the response.

"I called the school earlier today (yesterday) and was told the principal was out. I called again and was told that he got the message that I had called, but him still nuh return the call," she said.

When THE STAR contacted the school, the principal said that an investigation was under way. He also explained that the incident took place outside of school hours, so he was in the process of getting both sides of the story.

"I spoke with the students of the class, and they gave an entirely different story than what the mother had said. The mother told me that she was taking the matter to the CDA (Child Development Agency, recently renamed Child Protection and Family Services Agency) and I told her to go ahead, but I still needed to speak to the other children," he said.

He added that Carol may have been upset because he refused to release the names of the other children allegedly involved.

"I told her that if CDA wanted the names of students, they would have to visit the school, but I can't just give out the children's name like that. It would be a breach of the rules and my student's trust. They are all minors, and I would have to contact their parents first, even if CDA is requesting their names," he said.