KISSIMMEE, Fla. — Three Liberty High School students in Kissimmee are facing battery charges after a video circulating on social media shows them ganging up on a 16-year-old boy.
What You Need To Know
- This incident and others in the school district is prompting the sheriff's office to take a different approach to prevent more bullying, by creating an anti-bullying campaign
- The campaign video is in partnership with Miss Florida Ashley Carino who grew up in Osceola County
- The October incident caught on video has recently gone viral
Because juveniles are involved, Spectrum News 13 is not showing that video. The video has prompted an investigation by the Osceola County Sheriff's Office.
This incident and others prompted Sheriff Marcos Lopez to join forces with Miss Florida Ashley Carino, who grew up in the county, for an anti-bullying campaign.
The campaign video's been shown in every Osceola County school, trying to reach younger kids in the most impressionable years to make sure they know it will not be tolerated, there will be consequences, and to treat everyone with respect.
"Approaching this at a different level with more awareness, videos, with people of influence who have been through these types of incidents and who are actually homegrown in our county who can actually influence people to stand up, I'm not saying stand up and fight, say stand up and yell, make a noise, hey this is enough," Lopez said.
Miss Florida said she experienced intense bullying growing up.
"Bullying can have serious effects, emotional effects, and long-term effects to our students. Not every child has the same coping mechanism, so it's important as parents and as teachers, we don't just consider this as child's play or a right of passage, but that we take actions that our students know that at our school systems, we will have zero tolerance for bullying," Carino said.
Spectrum News 13 partners at The Orlando Sentinel are reporting the state attorney's office is reviewing next steps in this case for the students involved.