Family calls out Serra Catholic over alleged bullying incident on bus
MCKEESPORT, Pa. (KDKA) — A Serra Catholic High School student said he was bullied on a school bus.
"He was saying get out the seat, this is my seat, I want to sit here," Zion Ward said.
Ward, a Serra Catholic football player, said he was grabbed from his seat by his teammate and pushed to the ground before the bus left for a game against Yough last Friday.
"I kept ignoring him because I didn't want any issues," Ward said. "Then the next thing you know, he picked me up and threw me on the floor, slammed me on the floor. And that's when I got up and defended myself."
Ward said he defended himself and no one on the team helped him. He said he was not hurt and texted his parents about the incident.
Ward and the other boy did not play against Yough. They sat in the bleachers together unsupervised.
"We saw our son and the person that assaulted our son sitting there virtually almost as we are sitting here now," Stephen Ward said.
"They weren't concerned if he was injured," he added. "They weren't concerned what had transpired on the bus was wrong."
Zion Ward was suspended and his family decided he's not returning to school.
Serra Catholic issued a statement, saying:
"An incident that does not portray the behavior acceptable in our schools occurred when some student athletes were boarding a bus for a football game. The bus driver was on the bus. Coaches were in the process of boarding the bus. Please know that we take the safety and security of our students very seriously. Be assured we are handling this matter in accordance with our policies and procedures."
"I feel they failed us by dropping the ball, by not contacting us, by suspending him in the matter that they did," Stephen Ward said.
McKeesport's police chief said the family made a police report with the department. It's under investigation.