Lewiston-Altura mom says bullying is out of control after her daughter is attacked

(ABC 6 News) – One mom is growing frustrated with what she calls a lack of discipline from school officials after her daughter was assaulted in a lunch line and left with a broken nose.

The mother of that young girl says she’s hoping that by speaking out, more can be done to keep kids at Lewiston-Altura High School safe.

It happened on Monday, when Rebecca Morrison’s daughter, a 7th grader at the high school, was in the cafeteria getting lunch. She says a male classmate, also a 7th grader, started harassing her and when she asked him to stop, he shoved her and punched her in the face. 

The blow was so hard, that it broke her nose and chipped her tooth.

“It was traumatic for her, she was shocked that it happened. It’s just embarrassing and humiliating for her and the bullying that goes on at that school, then nothing really gets done about it at all,” Morrison said. “It just makes me sick to my stomach and something needs to be done about it before bigger things start happening.”

Morrison says school officials minimized the incident but admitted the lunchroom was not being monitored.

Morrison also says the student who punched her daughter is only facing 3 days of in-school suspension. Something she feels is not nearly enough and has now filed an assault report with police.

The Lewiston-Altura Independent School District 857 has issued the following statement:

“On Monday, an altercation occurred in the lunch line at Lewiston-Altura High School. The incident involved two seventh-grade students and resulted in an injury. The student who was injured received First Aid. 

School staff quickly intervened, and disciplinary action has been taken per school district policy. Due to our need to maintain student confidentiality, we cannot share further details at this time. 

As always, the safety and wellbeing of our students remains our top priority. We will continue to focus on maintaining a positive and welcoming environment for all members of our school community.”

Lewiston-Altura School District, ISD #857 Superintendent Gwen Carman

But Morrison says she doesn’t feel like school officials are doing their best.

“I want change. I want to make a difference. I want kids to go to school and be able to learn and not sit there and feel like ‘oh today’s going to really suck because I’m gonna get bullied again.’ I guess I’m just voicing my opinion to make a difference not only for my kid but for every other kid,” explained Morrison.

She says she is hoping for more school supervision, stricter punishments and more accountability from school staff whose job is to keep kids safe.

It’s up to the county attorney’s office what charges, if any, can be made against the student.