STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — A mother says her 12-year-old daughter was beaten and dragged into the middle of busy Richmond Avenue outside her New Springville school in an attack that she fears will have lasting impacts on the child.
Rebecca Sullivan, 37, of Great Kills, says her daughter, a 7th grader at Richmond Preparatory Charter School, was beaten by a fellow student after receiving a threat on Tuesday, Sept. 16.
According to Sullivan, her daughter was encircled by a group of students during recess and one in particular allegedly issued a threat stating they would beat her after school.
Sullivan claims that her daughter reported the encounter to a school official.
“She was doing what she thought would make her safe,” the mother told the Advance/SILive.com.
Ultimately, the mom claims her daughter’s concern was not acted upon by school staff.
After dismissal that day, Sullivan’s daughter went into the Taco Bell next door to get herself water, the mom said.
When she exited the Taco Bell, the girl was approached by a group of students once again, the mother said.
“And then the one girl who was making the threats at recess ran up behind her, grabbed her by her hair, pulled her to the floor, punching her, kicking her, slapping her all over her body,” Sullivan said. “Then she tightened the grip on my daughter’s hair and dragged her into Richmond Avenue and left her in traffic.”
She was unsure why her daughter was targeted, but noted she is “different” because she has an individualized education program for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder.
In the aftermath of the attack, Sullivan’s daughter called her crying. The mother said that one of the school’s paraprofessionals found her daughter in the street and brought her to safety.
The mother sped over to the scene when she said she got a call from the school.
Sullivan, who is a nurse, did her own assessment of her daughter’s injuries and the next morning she took her to the hospital.
The mother said she asked that the school call 911, but she alleges they failed to do so.
Sullivan said her daughter sustained rib injuries and “the mental anguish that’s going to carry through the rest of her life.”
The mother says she met with police and filed a report at Northwell Staten Island University Hospital in Prince’s Bay on Sept. 17.
A spokesperson for the NYPD confirmed to the Advance/SILive.com that they did receive a report.
The report indicates that around 3:45 p.m. on Sept. 16, a 12-year-old girl was punched multiple times and kicked by a 14-year-old girl in front of 2245 Richmond Ave.
The NYPD spokesperson added that while no arrests were made, an investigation was ongoing.
“I’m full of rage,” said Sullivan. “This should never happen. No child, no matter what they look like, no matter what disability they have, whatever differences they have — violence is not the answer. We have to teach our kids that we’re all human beings, we all deserve grace.”
Since the attack, Sullivan’s daughter has transferred out of Richmond Preparatory Charter School to another Staten Island school.
The mom told the Advance/SILive.com that ever since the attack, her daughter has been fearful and paranoid that she will be beaten once again.
Moreover, the young girl was enrolled in psychiatric therapy immediately after the attack outside the school.
School ‘aware’ of incident
“We are aware of the incident that occurred and its impact on our students and our community,” an Integration Charter School spokesperson said. “We are continuously working to strengthen our core value of community for all students, and we appreciate the support of our families.”
Richmond Preparatory Charter School is an Integration Charter School.