A fight between two students on a Baldwin-Whitehall School District school bus near Pittsburg, Pennsylvania sent a sixth grader to the hospital and led to a simple assault charge against an eighth-grade student, according to police and the victim’s family, reported WPXI News.

The incident reportedly happened when students from Harrison Middle School were riding home from school. Video recorded by other students captured part of the altercation.

Jason Scanlon told local news reporters that his son, Jacen, had been dealing with alleged bullying for months before the fight escalated. “It became a group thing, making my son extremely uncomfortable until it became something physical, which I knew was coming,” Scanlon said. “The school was warned it was coming multiple times.”

Fight on the School Bus

According to the news report, the fight began after his son argued with a younger girl, who is related to the eighth grader accused in the attack, at school. “It was a Tuesday, he went to school, apparently got into a little bit of an argument with this younger girl who ended up being the sister of the child who attacked him,” Scanlon said via the article.

Whitehall police reportedly said the older student, who was wearing a cast, punched Jacen during the fight. “He’s wearing a cast and the first punch he throws is at my son’s nose with a cast,” Scanlon told reporters.

The bus driver stopped the bus and called 911. Police and emergency crews responded, and Jacen was taken to UPMC Children’s Hospital. His injuries included a broken nose and a mild concussion, according to his father.

Whitehall police filed a simple assault charge against the eighth-grade student. Scanlon said he repeatedly contacted school administrators before the incident. “Emails, meetings, phone calls, multiple times. I went to [them] for help,” he said of prior attempts to report the alleged bullying.

Baldwin-Whitehall Superintendent Dr. Randal Lutz said via the article that the situation involved “two students who chose to engage in a fight” and noted both students had opportunities to de-escalate. Jacen received a three-day suspension. District officials said the eighth-grade student also faced disciplinary action, though they did not disclose specific consequences. Both students have since returned to class.

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