After fight at school, Camden mother calls out Eastside High School
CAMDEN, N.J. (CBS) – A Camden mother is calling out the Camden City School District after her son was attacked by multiple students in a school stairwell.
It was captured on a video that has since been posted to social media. This isn't the first time something like this has happened, the mom and boy said.
Nihya Wilson can barely watch the video that shows multiple students at Eastside High School in Camden attacking her son.
She was visibly upset and confused about why the kids would harm 14-year-old Amari Anderson, who she says has autism.
"As you put my son in a headlock, y'all immediately jumped on him...for what? I still don't understand why y'all did this to my baby," Wilson said, referring to the video.
Wilson said she is considering having her son change schools because she's concerned this could happen again.
District officials confirmed the incident happened around 11:40 a.m. Monday after a fire drill.
"I started talking to myself then one of the boys that attacked me thought I was talking to him," Amari said. "He said, 'Who are you talking to?' I said, 'No one,' then he got heated. I got heated and he said he was trying to fight me."
Amari wasn't injured, but his mom said she tried to warn the school something like this could happen.
On Thursday, Wilson said, Amari got into an altercation with another student after he was pushed into a girl in a school hallway.
It didn't escalate into a fight, but she said she still called the school Monday morning because she feared that her son's safety could be at risk.
"Come to find out, the boy who jumped my boy Monday tried to fight my son last Thursday," Wilson said.
Wilson says her son recently transferred to Eastside High because he was being bullied and was also beaten up at Camden High earlier this school year.
In this latest incident, she is questioning why a teacher wasn't there to protect her son. She said the students involved were suspended, but she believes they should be expelled.
"I don't know what's going to happen next, I'm scared to go back. I don't want to go back," Amari said. "It's super scary because this happened to me before. I don't want to experience this ever again and want this to stop."
CBS Philadelphia contacted the school district. Officials did not confirm the suspensions. They said they are investigating and said in a statement, in part, that they are "deeply concerned and dismayed by this unacceptable and heartbreaking conduct. Student safety is always our top priority."
Wilson said the district's response has been underwhelming but she's going to fight to make sure this doesn't happen again.
