A Washington state school went into lockdown after a male student made a threat against his classmates for walking out in support of a transfender peer who had been assaulted.
On Monday, dozens of students at Kamala High School in Kamala, Washington, walked out after a trans student was assaulted and taken to the hospital.
According to students who spoke to KOIN.com, a local broadcaster, one student repeatedly kicked the trans student, who identifies as male, while wearing steel-toed boots.
“The student had been on the ground, begging him to stop and he just kept going,” Katrina Rick-Mertens, a student, told the outlet.
The attack occurred as students were leaving the school on Monday afternoon. The injured student has since returned to class.
After some students walked out to protest the attack, the school went into lockdown. According to Kamala Police, a male student made a "threat of violence" against their peers who were walking out.
Police said in a Facebook post that the male student allegedly told a classmate that he wanted to aim a machine gun at the demonstrators. The student did not appear to be armed or have access to such a weapon at the time the comment was reported.
Law enforcement officials said they questioned the student and will forward criminal charges to the county prosecutor.
According to students, the incident is not the only instance of violent bullying at the school. Another student, Lillie Cierley, told KOIN that things like books, and staplers have been thrown at her in the past.
Both students said they have informed the administration about the bullying incidents but said nothing has been done to curb the attacks.
“It’s just really heartbreaking to not be taken seriously when our lives are at stake,”Lillie said.
Melissa Cierley, Lillie's mother, said she and her daughter text every hour to ensure she is safe, as boys have shouted things at her daughter in the past that she said would be considered sexual harassment.
KOIN reporters talked to Kamala School District Communications Manager Nick Shanmac, who said there are limits on what the school can share regarding its disciplinary actions due to student privacy restrictions.
“You do have this frustration that it appears on the surface that not enough is being done,” he said. “There are a lot of emotions that we understand it can feel like that, it can feel like nothing is happening.”
He said the district is working to better address the concerns of the students and their parents.
The district's Superintendent Eric Nerison and High School Principal Heidi Bunker called a town hall with students to gain a better understanding of what was occurring and how the school could better address the issues.
“If students are saying that they feel like this, they feel like there is a problem, then there is truth to that,” Mr Shanmac said. “As a school, as a district, we need to be listening.”
