CULLMAN, Ala. – Two videos surfaced on Snapchat Friday of a Cullman Middle School student assaulting another. The first video showed one student shoving another student. The second video showed the same student punching the other student on the grounds of Cullman Middle School.
According to Cullman City Schools Superintendent Kyle Kallhoff, the first video took place between classes late in the school day, with the second taking place just after 3 p.m. as school was dismissing. Teachers and the School Resource Officers were in the area where the second video occurred and subsequently brought the aggressor and victim to the office.
“Yes, the SRO was within 15 yards of the incident and teachers were on duty in the area as well. Due to the quick response from our teachers, administrators and SRO, the school was able to address this situation quickly,” said Superintendent Kallhoff. “Students were being monitored and will continue to be monitored. There are no changes. Teachers are on duty at dismissal and will continue to be. The incident that took place Friday was within 15 yards of an adult. When the adult saw it take place, they intervened.”
When asked about Cullman City Schools’ policy of violence and the urging of violence, Kallhoff shared, “The school system has a Student Code of Conduct which addresses offenses such as bullying, harassment, assault, misuse of electronic devices, profanity and cyber bullying. All of which were observed in the video from last week. The type of behavior from the video is not acceptable and will not be tolerated in the Cullman City School System. Students who violate school policies will be offered due process, then disciplined according to the Student Code of Conduct.”
When asked, “Will the juvenile be banned from school?” and “Will the students urging on the violence be punished for their actions?”, Kallhoff replied to both by stating, “I cannot comment on specific student discipline occurrences and outcomes; however, the student from the video and the student who videoed the event will be offered due process and disciplined according to our Student Code of Conduct. We will also offer anger management and other anger support services to the students involved.”
To put rumors to rest, Kallhoff was asked about state involvement pertaining to this altercation, to which he responded, “I am not aware of any state involvement. This is not a state issue, it is an incident that took place at CMS and is being handled by CMS administration with the support of the superintendent’s office.”
On the topic of steps that can be taken to support students who face abuse from other students, he shared, “Students and parents can talk to teachers, counselors or administrators any time if they feel they are being abused or harassed. In reference to Friday’s incident, we will have our SRO, social worker and counselor work with the victim from the video and offer support to him and his family.”
Students will be discouraged from posting similar videos to social media in the future, with Kallhoff explained, “Posting videos like this to social media is a form of cyber bullying and a violation of our Student Code of Conduct, which will lead to discipline measures. However, sharing videos like this with administration, without posting or sharing with others, can help administrators quickly stop the behavior and address the situation.”
Students can often replicate behavior they have seen from older students and from adults, so bullying victims are often students from marginalized identities (religious, racial, disability, LGBTQ+). When asked how the school addresses reports of prejudiced behavior, and if there is a system for students or faculty to report instances of bias or prejudice, Kallhoff explained, “Students and parents can talk to teachers, counselors or administrators any time if they feel they are being abused or harassed. If this is taking place outside of school, then we will work with our community partners to refer the students or families where they can get support or services.”
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