KIPP Morial student punched on bus after reporting older classmate
A fifth grader was hit repeatedly on a ride home on Oct. 30, but the school did not notify his mother until a video went viral this week.
By Alexei Brooks ·
The video of a young boy being punched on a school bus racked up 40,000 views in 20 minutes before it was taken down on Tuesday. The clip, which was posted on social media, shows a fifth grader at KIPP Morial in New Orleans East being grabbed and hit by an older student. The incident had actually occurred on Oct. 30, nearly a week before the footage surfaced.
Dionne Conerly, the boy's mother, first learned of the attack when she saw the clip on Tuesday night. Her son, Karmelo McCoi, had reported the verbal and physical bullying to a teacher on the morning of Oct. 30. Conerly said the teacher gave the older student, who she believes is in seventh or eighth grade, a verbal warning at lunch. That afternoon, the older boy began exchanging words with Karmelo before the bus left the school.
According to Conerly, the older student waited until the evening bus ride to retaliate. Her six-year-old daughter, who was also on the bus, told their mother that the older boy punched Karmelo repeatedly. The bus driver called a school dean to board the vehicle. The dean investigated but did not remove either child from the bus. Conerly was not contacted by the school at that time.
On Wednesday, Conerly spoke with KIPP Morial officials. She asked why the students were not separated and why parents were not called immediately after the driver reported the fight. The school told her the incident did not seem serious. The only disciplinary action offered was a four-day suspension for the older student. That student did not attend school on Wednesday, likely because of the circulating video.
New Orleans charter schools often transport students from across the city on long bus rides. Parents have periodically demanded bus monitors to supervise these trips. Conerly is now considering reporting the matter to the New Orleans Police Department. She wants the older student to face charges. Her son is embarrassed and does not want to return to school. Conerly worries the bullying may worsen now that the video is public.
Hammond’s Transportation, the company that provides the buses for KIPP New Orleans, told Conerly that both children had been removed from the bus. The company also claimed the incident happened over a month ago. A spokesperson for KIPP New Orleans did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Under NOLA Public Schools guidelines, a suspended child cannot return to school until after a parent-teacher conference.
