THE mother of a female student at Ascot High School in Portmore, St Catherine, who was punched in the face by the father of another female student on school grounds last week, is seeking to relocate her child because of what she says are safety concerns.

The physical assault of the 13-year-old student was captured on video and has since been making the rounds on social media. In the footage, a woman was seen yelling at the student when a man walked up to the teen from behind and thumped her on the head.

“Safety is a big concern. At a meeting at the school on Tuesday we came to the conclusion that it is best to move her because the teachers are saying that they will not be able to protect her beyond the school gate,“ she said.

According to her, administrators of the school were seeking to meet with both parties on Tuesday, but the other student did not show up for school.

“I am just in shock. I cannot believe that a male adult really did that to a female child. Before the video came out my daughter called me and talked to me about it. I went for her and then went to the police station to make a report. The meeting at the school was to get to understand why that took place. There are claims that a text message was sent to somebody from the child saying that she was going to fight my daughter. My daughter went and reported it to the dean of discipline.

“The dean spoke to them and they went back to classes. When school was over my daughter was outside and the girl came through the door, saw my daughter and for some reason felt threatened by her. She said my daughter was waiting to fight her. Her parents were called and what you see in the video was what happened when they arrived. The man who punched my daughter should go to prison.”

She told the Jamaica Observer that a member of the Jamaica Constabulary Force was present at Tuesday morning’s meeting and said that they were “still searching” for the man who assaulted her daughter. However, he turned himself in to the police on Tuesday afternoon and was reportedly charged with assault occasioning bodily harm.

The parent who was seen yelling at the teen who was punched apologised on Wednesday for her behaviour. She acknowledged in an interview with the Observer that she was wrong to let anger push her into a confrontation with a teenager. She declared, however, that her daughter was no saint.

“I am apologising for my behaviour, but I could have been at home and heard that she killed somebody or someone killed her. The cops warned me and said that, as a mother, I should know how to deal with certain situations because children are children.”

“The two kids were friends before. I don’t know what made it turn so sour. I am not covering up for my child and I am not going to make it look like she is a saint.”

On October 12, the day of the confrontation, she said she received a call from the dean of discipline who told her that another child tried to assault her daughter. The dean reportedly told her that she should pick up the child because there was allegedly a plan to attack her.

She said she got to the school at 4:00 pm and saw her in the principal’s office. The mother said she questioned her daughter about the information relayed by the dean and her daughter pointed out a female student to her.

“I went up to her and asked her what she and my daughter have, and she said, ‘Woman, come out of my f%$#! face.’ I got so angry when she said that, but I controlled my anger, but her father is the one who came behind me and hit her. If I saw that he was going to hit her I would not let him do it. My daughter is the only child for my babyfather and with all the killing of students that’s going on, he was paranoid.”

Principal of Ascot High Shannell Talbert said he could not comment on the issue until after he meets with the school’s board and submits a report to the Ministry of Education and Youth.