{"id":2064482,"date":"2023-10-12T07:35:04","date_gmt":"2023-10-12T11:35:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/texas-mother-says-her-teen-was-forced-to-share-classroom-with-student-accused-of-beating-her-on-a-school-bus\/"},"modified":"2023-10-12T07:42:00","modified_gmt":"2023-10-12T11:42:00","slug":"texas-mother-says-her-teen-was-forced-to-share-classroom-with-student-accused-of-beating-her-on-a-school-bus","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/texas-mother-says-her-teen-was-forced-to-share-classroom-with-student-accused-of-beating-her-on-a-school-bus\/","title":{"rendered":"Texas mom claims her teen had to share classroom with student accused of assaulting her on a bus."},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">36<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Ftexas-mother-says-her-teen-was-forced-to-share-classroom-with-student-accused-of-beating-her-on-a-school-bus%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2064482&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><blockquote>\n<h2>A\u2064 Teen&#8217;s Fight for Safety in School<\/h2>\n<p>A \u200bNorth Texas teen who suffered a head\u200d injury after four other girls beat her on a school bus has been in the same \u2062classroom with one of her attackers \u200bfor a month, \u2063despite objections from the teen&#8217;s mother.<\/p>\n<p>Ashley Duerte \u200dtold The \u2064Epoch Times she met with a counselor at Denton\u200d Independent School\u2062 District before the academic year started to ensure the \u200dschool didn&#8217;t place any of the alleged attackers in \u200cclasses with her \u200ddaughter.<\/p>\n<p>The incident, which occurred at the end of last school\u2064 year, was captured on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/pelosi-says-impeachment-and-25th-amendment-resolutions-will-be-brought-to-the-house-floor-starting-monday\/\" title=\"Pelosi Says Impeachment and 25th Amendment Resolutions Will Be Brought to the House Floor Starting Monday\">cell phone video<\/a> \u2064and\u2064 shared on social media. It resulted in \u2062aggravated \u2063assault charges filed against two attackers, Ms. \u200dDuerte said.<\/p>\n<div class=\"shortcode\">\n<div class=\"border-comp-divider mb-4 mr-4 w-full max-w-[500px] border px-5 py-4 text-[16px] leading-[20px] text-[#262626] md:float-left\" id=\"in_article_related_stories\">\n<h2 class=\"mb-3 font-sans text-[16px] font-semibold uppercase leading-[19px] text-[#2F2F2F]\">Related\u200c Stories<\/h2>\n<div class=\"mb-4 flex gap-2\">\n<div class=\"grow\">\n<div class=\"mb-1 line-clamp-2\">\n            <a href=\"http:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/opinion\/whats-the-matter-with-texas-republicans-when-it-comes-to-school-choice-legislation-5285518?ea_src=author_manual&#038;ea_med=related_stories\"><\/p>\n<h3>What\u2019s the \u2062Matter With Texas Republicans When It\u2064 Comes to\u2062 School \u200bChoice Legislation?<\/h3>\n<p>            <\/a>\n          <\/div>\n<div class=\"text-comp-caption text-[14px] leading-[18px]\">5\/23\/2023<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"shrink-0 basis-[120px]\">\n          <a href=\"http:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/opinion\/whats-the-matter-with-texas-republicans-when-it-comes-to-school-choice-legislation-5285518?ea_src=author_manual&#038;ea_med=related_stories\"><\/a>\n        <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"mb-4 flex gap-2\">\n<div class=\"grow\">\n<div class=\"mb-1 line-clamp-2\">\n            <a href=\"http:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/us\/texas-ag-ken-paxtons-legal-opinion-could-help-clear-way-for-school-choice-5138691?ea_src=author_manual&#038;ea_med=related_stories\"><\/p>\n<h3>Texas AG Ken \u200dPaxton&#8217;s Legal Opinion Could Help Clear \u200dWay For School Choice<\/h3>\n<p>            <\/a>\n          <\/div>\n<div class=\"text-comp-caption text-[14px] leading-[18px]\">3\/22\/2023<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"shrink-0 basis-[120px]\">\n          <a href=\"http:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/us\/texas-ag-ken-paxtons-legal-opinion-could-help-clear-way-for-school-choice-5138691?ea_src=author_manual&#038;ea_med=related_stories\"><\/a>\n        <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>One of\u2063 the students charged, now \u2064a freshman like\u200d her\u200d daughter,\u2064 attended \u200dalternative school \u2062during \u200cthe\u200c first weeks \u200cof the semester.<\/p>\n<p>But once\u200b the accused\u2062 attacker was released from alternative school the \u2064week of Sept. 13, she was inexplicably\u2062 placed in\u2063 the same class as her daughter, Ms. Duerte said.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;I\u200d was upset\u2063 because it \u200bwas a very small request that I made to\u2063 the counselor,&#8221; she \u200bsaid.<\/p>\n<div class=\"shortcode post-related-videos\">\n<div class=\"lazyload-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"lazyload-placeholder\"><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Ms.\u2062 Duerte said she would like to see Texas\u200c pass school\u200c choice during a special session on \u2064the issue that began this week. That way parents can remove students from situations where schools \u200care &#8220;full of \u2063broken promises.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>The 88th Texas Legislature began\u200b its third special session on Oct. 9, with Governor Greg Abbott calling \u200clawmakers back into Austin\u2062 to consider the issue of legislation that will permit the \u200cdiversion of some \u2063public\u2062 funds \u200cto \u200bprivate \u2063schools and other issues.<\/p>\n<div class=\"post-figure\" style=\"margin-left:0;margin-right:0;max-width:1200px\">\n<figure style=\"width:613px;margin-left:auto;margin-right:auto\" class=\"aligncenter\"><figcaption>Texas lawmakers\u200c debated bills on May \u200d19\u2064 at the Austin capitol. (Courtesy of the Texas\u200d Legislature)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>In \u2063April, the Senate passed a measure\u2063 permitting\u200b up to $8,000 per student to\u200c be given back to families to help pay for\u200d private school tuition, tutoring services, \u2062and \u2062other education-related expenses,\u200c but the process stalled in the House.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;I\u200d have\u2062 learned that our school system really does not care for the well-being and safety \u2062of our \u2064children,&#8221; Ms. Duerte said.<\/p>\n<p>She added her \u200bdaughter felt &#8220;a lot of fear&#8221; when the \u2063student charged \u2064with her assault was assigned \u2062to the same classroom, worrying the girl may attempt to hurt her again.<\/p>\n<p>Ms. Duerte said the \u200dassistant principal \u2063called her on \u2063Oct. 10, after The Epoch Times\u2063 contacted the\u200d school for comment, to say they would work on removing the \u200cother student.<\/p>\n<p>She was not in class on Oct. \u200c11.<\/p>\n<p>Ms. Duarte, who is\u2063 Hispanic, said she \u200ctried to change schools \u2062for her younger children because one of the attackers, still in middle school, \u200cwas\u200c using racial slurs against her son.<\/p>\n<p>But\u200d Denton \u200bISD\u200c declined the request, and Ms.\u200d Duerte said she could not afford to home-school her children.<\/p>\n<p>She said the unprovoked \u200cattack happened on May 16, 2023, when \u200dher daughter\u2062 was\u2062 in \u200b8th\u2062 grade at middle school.<\/p>\n<div class=\"post-figure\" style=\"margin-left:0;margin-right:0;max-width:1200px\">\n<figure style=\"width:640px;margin-left:auto;margin-right:auto\" class=\"aligncenter\"><figcaption>Ashley Duerte \u2063said her\u200d teen was attacked by four students on a bus in Denton, Texas, on May 16, 2023.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Cell phone recordings\u200d of the bus incident posted on social media\u200c showed\u200c students gathered around as the attackers held her daughter&#8217;s head down and repeatedly pummeled her \u200cwhile some\u200c cheered and used profanity.<\/p>\n<p>The bus driver took no action to stop the incident, Ms. Duarte said.<\/p>\n<p>She took her \u2062daughter to the emergency room after the\u2062 incident. Her daughter suffered \u2062scratches\u200b on her arms and neck, bruises, and \u200dwas diagnosed with\u200d a \u2064mild concussion.<\/p>\n<p>The mother\u200d said she contacted Citizens Defending Freedom (CDF) after the school placed the accused\u200c attacker in\u2063 her \u2062daughter&#8217;s class because she no longer trusted\u200c the school.<\/p>\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/texas-mother-says-her-teen-was-forced-to-share-classroom-with-student-accused-of-beating-her-on-a-school-bus\/\" title=\"Texas mom claims her teen had to share classroom with student accused of assaulting her on a bus.\">conservative watchdog\u2062 group champions parental rights<\/a>, transparency in \u2062local government, and Constitutional rights.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;I just \u200cdon&#8217;t want to\u2062 think that it was done \u200dpurposely,&#8221; Ms. Duerte said.<\/p>\n<div class=\"post-figure\">\n<figure style=\"width:250px\" class=\"alignright\"><figcaption>Jonathan Hullihan is an\u2064 attorney for Citizens Defending Freedom in Texas. (Courtesy of Jonathan Hullihan)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>&#8220;But I\u2062 did all the precautionary steps that I thought I\u200d needed \u2064to do to avoid this from happening,&#8221; \u2064she added. &#8220;And she\u200d still ended up in the same\u200c class.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Julie Zwahr, Denton ISD&#8217;s chief \u2063communications officer, \u2062told The Epoch Times the district could not comment\u200b on specifics involving students\u200b due to \u2062privacy laws but that\u2063 &#8220;safety and \u2063security&#8221; is \u200da\u200c priority.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;It is\u200c our\u200b practice that when a student\u200c enrolls at a new school, we honor separating students when there\u200b is direct communication from\u2062 a parent regarding their student, especially\u200b concerning previous \u200dpeer \u2063conflict,&#8221; she wrote in\u2062 an email.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;We will continue to work daily with our community, including\u200c students, parents, and staff,\u200d to ensure the \u2064expectations of appropriate behavior and \u200dthe \u200csupport of one \u2063another remains our \u200dfocus,&#8221; she stated.<\/p>\n<p>Jonathan\u2062 Hullihan, general counsel and director of \u200dlegal operations for CDF in Texas, \u200csaid Ms. Duerte contacted him to help\u200b get the situation resolved.<\/p>\n<p>Mr. Hullihan emailed Denton ISD&#8217;s attorney Deron Robinson on\u200b Sept. 26, \u2063asking that\u2063 the accused \u2063assailant be removed from the daughter&#8217;s classroom to protect her from &#8220;further violence, bullying or aggressive behavior.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>The school attorney responded that \u200dneither Ms. Duarte \u2062nor her \u200ddaughter had expressed concerns since the\u200b accused attacker returned to class.<\/p>\n<p>Mr. \u2063Robinson&#8217;s email stated if the mother \u2063wanted to remove her \u2062daughter from the class, she\u2062 should contact\u200b the counselor.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Having parents and students work directly with campus\u200b staff is always the\u2063 best and most efficient method for solving any concerns,&#8221;\u2063 he wrote.<\/p>\n<div class=\"my-5\">\n<p>Mr. Robinson&#8217;s \u200demail explained that counselors are assigned based on a student&#8217;s \u200blast \u2064name, meaning the counselor \u200cassigned to her daughter wouldn&#8217;t necessarily know when the accused assailant returned to\u200d school.<\/p>\n<h2>Slow to Act<\/h2>\n<p>But even with CDF&#8217;s \u200ddemand\u2064 letter on Oct. 4, the school did not act, \u2062Mr. Hullihan told The Epoch \u200bTimes.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>&#8220;Mrs. Duarte has lost trust and \u200bconfidence that asserting her parental \u200brights and the rights of her daughter as a victim of a crime will be protected or taken seriously\u2064 by\u2063 working directly with Denton ISD campus staff,&#8221; Mr. Hullihan stated in the demand letter.<\/p>\n<p>Ms. Duerte said her daughter was traumatized by the \u200dincident and is\u200c still\u200c recovering.<\/p>\n<p>Over \u200bthe summer, she \u2063didn&#8217;t \u200bwant to go out of the house because \u2063she was afraid of running into the \u200cgirls who assaulted her.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;She&#8217;s still kind of hesitant when she goes out anywhere,&#8221; she said. &#8220;It just sucks.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Ms. Duerte said the schools care more \u2062about\u2063 funding and meeting attendance \u2062quotas than the &#8220;safety\u2063 of \u200cour children.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Mr. Hullihan\u200c said placing a\u200c student facing criminal \u200bcharges for previous \u2063violent behavior in the same \u2064classroom as the victim was \u200binexcusable.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;I am happy that this\u2063 matter seems to be resolved,&#8221; he \u200dsaid. &#8220;However, it is unfortunate it seems to have only been \u200dresolved after public awareness through social and news media.&#8221;<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p> <\/p>\n<h2> What steps should schools take to\u200d ensure the safety of their students,\u200d especially in cases of violence or assault?<\/h2>\n<p><span>  A Teen&#8217;s\u200c Fight\u200b for Safety in School<\/p>\n<p>A\u2062 North Texas\u2062 teen has been fighting for her safety in school after \u200csuffering a head injury from a violent incident. Despite her mother&#8217;s \u200dobjections, the school has placed her in the same classroom as \u2063one of her attackers. This alarming situation raises questions about the school&#8217;s responsibility to protect their students.<\/p>\n<p>Ashley Duerte, the mother of the victim, had met with a \u2062counselor\u200c at Denton Independent School District before the \u200bacademic year started to ensure that none of\u2063 the alleged attackers would be placed in classes with her \u200bdaughter. However, it \u2063seems that her concerns were not taken seriously. The incident, which happened at the end of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/education-insanity-top-10-stories-of-the-week-vol-25\/\" title=\"Education Insanity: Top 10 Stories Of The Week (Vol. 25)\">previous school year<\/a>, was even captured on cell \u2062phone video and shared on social media. Two of the attackers are now facing aggravated \u2063assault charges.<\/p>\n<p>One of the accused students had initially been sent to an alternative school at\u200d the start of the semester, but was later transferred \u2062back to the regular school and placed\u2063 in the\u200d same class as\u200b the victim. This decision\u200d by the school \u200cadministration is deeply concerning and raises questions about their commitment to the safety and well-being \u2062of their students.<\/p>\n<p>Ms. Duerte expressed \u200cher disappointment\u200c with \u200cthe school&#8217;s handling of the situation. She expressed her frustration\u2063 by stating, &#8220;I was upset because it was a very small request that I made to the counselor.&#8221; It is disheartening to see that such a simple request was\u2064 not honored, especially \u200dconsidering the \u200btrauma that her daughter has already\u2063 endured.<\/p>\n<p>In light \u200bof this incident, Ms. Duerte has \u2063voiced her support for the passing of school\u2063 choice legislation in Texas. She believes\u200d that \u200bparents should\u2063 have the option to remove their children from schools that \u2062do not prioritize\u2062 their\u2063 safety. The\u200c timing of her statement is \u200bnotable, as the 88th Texas Legislature has recently started a \u200bspecial\u2062 session to consider legislation on various issues, including school\u200d choice.<\/p>\n<p>School choice would allow \u200dparents to divert\u2062 public funds \u200dto private schools, giving them more options and control over their children&#8217;s education. While this proposal may face its \u2064own\u2063 set of challenges and criticisms, it is crucial to address the \u200dissue of student \u200csafety and provide parents with the ability to choose the best educational environment for their children.<\/p>\n<p>The case of \u2063this North Texas\u200b teen highlights the importance of creating a safe and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/autistic-college-student-punished-for-fist-bumps-and-selfies-gets-upsetting-news-in-court\/\" title=\"Autistic College Student Punished For Fist Bumps And Selfies Gets Upsetting News In Court\">secure learning environment<\/a> for all students. It is the responsibility of schools to prioritize the well-being of their students and take \u2064appropriate actions \u2064to prevent any \u200bfurther harm. This incident serves as a reminder that more needs to be \u2062done to ensure the safety of\u2064 students and to address the concerns \u200cof parents.\u2064 School choice \u2064legislation may be one \u200davenue to explore in order\u200b to provide parents with the ability to protect their children and hold schools accountable for their actions.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A North Texas teen, who was assaulted by four girls on a school bus, has been in the same classroom as one of her attackers for a month, despite her mother&#8217;s objections. Ashley Duerte met with a counselor at Denton Independent School District prior to this situation, as reported by The Epoch Times.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":904,"featured_media":2064483,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[543],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2064482","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-epoch-times"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2064482","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/904"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2064482"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2064482\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2064483"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2064482"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2064482"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2064482"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}