A viral video of a student attacking another student at Quince Orchard High School was all over social media earlier this week, sparking outrage amongst the community. The father of the student who was attacked in the video spoke out in an interview with FOX5’s Shomari Stone. The victim’s father told FOX 5 that he believes his son was targeted. He says his son is on the autism spectrum. “I’m obviously distraught, especially after seeing the video, or videos that have been, I guess leaked or put on social media. It hurts to see your child hit numerous times by a bully.” he said.
Gaithersburg mayor Jud Ashman was tagged in a post sharing the video and in turn tagged Quince Orchard High School Principal Beth Thomas for a response. Thomas replied, “We responded swiftly yesterday to this unacceptable behavior and incident. This is not tolerated and a violation of our Code of Conduct. It undermines our values and everything we are committed to creating at QO. EVERY child deserves to feel safe, welcomed, and valued.”
According to FOX5, MCPS says they’re aware of the video, and they are currently investigating. MCPS stated the following, “These matters are always taken very seriously as safety is paramount in every school. The MCPS Student Code of Conduct identifies fighting as prohibited and following an investigation, discipline may be applied. Student privacy law does not allow the district to identify any specific disciplinary action.”