BEAUMONT, Texas — A Beaumont city councilman is calling for state and national-level change after what he describes as a "horrific incident" at West Brook High School.
“A student was brutally beaten in one of the boy's restrooms while other students watched,” Beaumont City Councilman Mike Getz said in a Facebook post.
Councilman Mike Getz said he was asked to be a Beaumont ISD ambassador. The morning after the first night of ambassador training, Getz saw a video that has since surfaced on social media.
"My cell phone was blowing up with people sending me links to a horrific incident at West Brook,” Getz said.
The video, which 12News has seen, appears to have been taken in the boy's bathroom. A teenage boy can be seen punching another boy, who is on the floor, in the face and head at least 14 times before kicking him in the face.
The boy on the floor tries to cover his face as he is hit multiple times. Other teens can be seen in the bathroom when the incident is taking place.
The boy who was seen punching and kicking the other was arrested and could possibly face robbery and assault charges, according to Getz. The councilman hopes he will be prosecuted as an adult.
12News is not showing the video in order to protect the identities of the minors involved and because we have not been able to vet the circumstances surrounding where and when the original video was taken.
“This is not his first rodeo,” Getz said. “He has been arrested before, but current state and federal law allow these offenders back on campus after a relatively short stay at a juvenile detention facility.”
Getz feels the school district failed the student who was hurt by not providing him with a safe learning environment.
“Being a BISD Ambassador does not mean that you have to put blinders on and live in a world of unicorns and rainbows,” Getz said.
Getz said he spoke with Beaumont ISD superintendent and the District Attorney’s office. He feels the solution to the fighting would be to place adult monitors at the doors of the restrooms.
“I am told that policy had already been implemented but that someone failed to show up to monitor the rest room as they were supposed to do,” Getz said. "They need to be held accountable."
Getz feels the issue needs to be addressed on a legislative and congressional level. Until then, the councilman is calling on area school districts to place monitors at the doors of restrooms in schools.
Getz also wants districts to limit the number of students who can go into the restroom at a time and continue locking restrooms doors during class times.
“For students that need to answer nature's call while class is in progress, they should have to obtain a pass from their teacher and then go to one of a limited number of rest rooms available during class time, which will also be monitored,” Getz said.
This is a developing story. We will update with more if and when we receive more confirmed information.
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