‘They grabbed my hair, they punched me in the head, kicked me in the stomach,’ 13-year-old Odilys Torres claimed
Some middle school students in New York claim they’re being bullied and physically attacked just because they are migrants, according to a local media report.
Odilys Torres, a 13-year-old student at J.H.S. 226 in the borough of Queens , said in an interview with CBS New York that other students have bullied and hit her on a school bus because she and her family moved to the city from Venezuela.
“They grabbed my hair, they punched me in the head, kicked me in the stomach,” she said in Spanish, according to CBS New York, “and they did tell me to get out of this country and leave this bus.”
The students were suspended after Odilys Torres’ mother, Alejandra Amaja, made several complaints to both the school and local police.
New York City Public Schools said in a statement that the “safety and well-being” of all students is the district’s main priority.
“After the school was informed of this incident, the school immediately responded, taking all necessary and appropriate steps, including launching an investigation and ensuring access to in-school support for students. Bullying has absolutely no place in our school communities, and we take every report of bullying extremely seriously,” the district said, according to CBS New York.