We don't know. We do know what will get you a three-day suspension from the Chillicothe, Ohio, high school: beating the shit out of an openly gay kid. Watch this video:
This week, a 15-year-old teenager was severely beaten in his high school class room for being gay. The attack occurred at Union-Scioto High School in Chillicothe, Ohio, and was caught on camera as fellow class members watched one teen wait for the victim to enter the room, push him to the ground and continually punch him in the face. Two days prior to the attack, the perpetrator harassed the victim via Facebook regarding his sexual orientation. The victim has suffered a possible concussion and dental damage. The attacker was suspended from school for just three days. Union-Scioto has no policy in place that specifically protects students from being bullied or attacked based on sexual orientation or gender identity. The Union-Scioto Local School District does have a policy that prohibits harassment based on sex, race, color, national origin, religion, disability, among others, but it does not specifically protect against harassment based on sexual orientation or gender identity.
A policy forbidding harassment based on sexual orientation or gender identity won't prevent all incidents of bullying or assault. But it would send a message. You know what else sends a message? Arresting someone for felony assault, indicting someone for felony assault, and, if someone is found guilty of felony assault, sending someone to prison for felony assault. If the bully in who assaulted the gay kid in this video had done the exact same thing to a little old lady in shopping mall or a stranger at a bus stop he would've been arrested and charged with a crime. If he had done the same thing to a teacher at Union-Scioto High School he would've been arrested and expelled. Watch the video again. That kid who beat up a fellow student was suspended for three days and he wasn't arrested? The administrators at Union-Scioto High School and the police in Chillicothe are sending a message to every bully and bigot in town: felony assault isn't felony assault if you're assaulting the gay kid.
"He kept hitting, and nobody did anything."
Do something.
Union-Scioto Local Schools District Administration:
Superintendent: Dwight Garrett dgarrett@mail.gsn.k12.oh.us
High School Principal: James Osborne josborne@mail.gsn.k12.oh.us
Unioto High School Asst. Principal: Wilma Gillott wgillott@mail.gsn.k12.oh.us
If they shut off their email:
Union-Scioto
Administration Office
1565 Egypt Pike
Chillicothe, Ohio 45601
740-773-4102Unioto High School
14193 Pleasant Valley Road
Chillicothe, Ohio 45601
740-773-4105
And contact the police:
Chief Roger Moore
28 North Paint Street
Chillicothe, Ohio 45601
Phone: (740) 773-1191
The Chillicothe Police Department would like to remind citizens that they can email anonymous complaints of drug activity, or any illegal activity, to drugtip@chillicothepolice.com. These complaints will be reviewed and investigated by detectives of the Chillicothe Police Department.
UPDATE: Says Massgroovy:
SHERIFFS DEPARTMENT IS THE AGENCY HANDLING THIS CASE. CONTACT THEM @ (740) 773-1185. PROSECUTORS OFFICE (740) 702-3115
