11-Year Old Attacks 5-Year Old on Northview School Bus? So Sad!

Sadly, bullying has been a part of life since recorded time. Today, with social media, we are even more aware of the problem, especially in schools. The bigger, stronger kids preying on the smaller, weaker ones. That seems to be what happened earlier this month in the Northview School District.

Now, an 11-year-old boy accused of attacking a 5-year-old boy on a Northview Public Schools bus earlier this month has been charged with assault and battery. The Kent County juvenile prosecutor reviewed the case and then decided to charged the 11-year-old.

In stories from FOX17, WOOD TV and WZZM TV, it seems the incident occurred March 9 in Plainfield Township. And, yes, there is video, shot by another student, of the incident.

The child's parents, Jermon Burrell and Timia Blanton, were shown a video of the incident. They say their son was invited to sit with a group of older kids who then attacked him, hitting his head against a metal window fixture and kicking him in the stomach repeatedly. The kindergartner's mother, Timia Blanton said:

"He was just trying his hardest to fight them off, but they were just too strong."

Jermon Burrell, the father of the kindergarten student, said his son was crying with a bruise on his head after he got off the school bus. As the incident happened, Burrell claimed some other students stood by and recorded as the 6th grader assaulted and suffocated his son, and the bus driver didn’t do enough to help his son. The little boy did sustain minor injuries, however medical treatment wasn't needed.

Northview Public Schools Superintendent Scott Korpak said the bus driver was placed on administrative leave pending further investigation, but the Kent County Sheriff's office said the driver wasn't charged and was never a suspect.

Korpak said that he was horrified by the incident and that the school is working with the student's family to ensure they have the support they need.

You can't understate the importance of mean and bullying actions taken by students on other students in all of our schools, not just Northview. It's vitally important for parents to talk with their children about the importance of reporting anything that may be going on.