New Albany, IN (WDRB)-- A local mother credits WDRB with helping her get a meeting with school leaders after she says her daughter was bullied and beaten up at New Albany High School.
17-year-old Kayla Hamby says on October 5th while the teacher was out of the room, she was beaten and bullied by the girls who busted her lip and shoved her head into the wall and floor, causing permanent hearing loss.
Her mother, Madeline Hamby, says, "I'm really upset because five days is not good enough. My daughter fears for her life. I fear to send her back to school which I have, because she wanted to go back."
After 30 minutes with school officials, including the Assistant Superintendent of New Albany Floyd County Schools, Hamby walked out frustrated by what she heard. Hamby says, "They say they do have a strict policy where normally those girls would have been arrested the first day, but they weren't because of the time period it happened in. But that's not good enough for me."
Hamby says the 15 and 16 year old girls are charged with felony battery and are expected to return to school on Monday after being suspended for five days.
Hamby says, "They told me they will do schedule changes, make sure they are not in the same lunches together and walking the hallways together, making them take different halls. I mean I still don't think that's good enough. I think those girls should be out of the school."
WDRB News tried to get answers from New Albany Floyd County School officials, but no one would talk on camera. The Asst. Superintendent says Hamby's case is being thoroughly investigated. He says several students are also being investigated. He says cell phone policies were violated.
Kayla says students recorded the assault and even posted the video for a short time on YouTube.
Madeline Hamby was thankful to get Wednesday's meeting, but says it'll take awhile to change the mindset of the school corporation.
She says, "After I talked to you all and let them know this story was on the news, then they were ready to talk to me. It took that, this being on the news."
Hamby says school officials want to meet with her again, this time including the New Albany High School Principal.
Meanwhile, someone set up a Facebook page to support Kayla Hamby. Madeline says Kayla has also received support from a number of people who have been bullied as well. They say they will report the incidents because of her story of standing up.
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