North Texas

8-Year-Old Boy Sexually Attacked on School Bus: Mother

"They said, 'Tell anybody, and I'll hurt you again, and you'll be in trouble, too,'" said the alleged victim's mother.

A North Texas mother says she is angry that little is being done after her 8-year-old son was allegedly sexually assaulted on a school bus by two other 8-year-old boys.

She said her son โ€” a first-grader at Northbrook Elementary in northwest Fort Worth, part of the Eagle Mountain-Saginaw Independent School District โ€” was riding the bus to school Thursday morning when two other boys pulled down his pants, performed a sexual act and beat him up.

"This is a scrape mark from when he was punched and kicked in the stomach," she said, pointing to two red marks on the boy's stomach. "They said, 'Tell anybody, and I'll hurt you again, and you'll be in trouble, too.'"

The mother said her son has complained recently about getting bullied, but she had no idea it would develop into something more serious.

"This escalated from a bullying to a full-blown sexual assault," she said.

Fort Worth police spokesman Sgt. Steve Enright confirmed an investigation was underway but added if the other two boys are just 8 years old, there's little that police can do.

Legally, no criminal charges can be filed against any child under the age of 10.

"Where is the magic line? That is the question," the boy's mother said. "And what is the degree of crime that they can commit before they say, 'You know what? Maybe you do need some sort of court intervention.'"

The Eagle Mountain-Saginaw Independent School District issued a statement, saying, "As soon as school and district personnel were made aware of the report, we responded immediately and have put every measure into place that we legally can to protect and support those involved in this matter."

An adult monitor has been assigned to the bus, according to district spokeswoman Megan Overman.
She would not comment on any action taken against the two boys.

The alleged victim's mother said she wants the two expelled.

"My son is now going to have to go to a school where his attackers are going to be, and that's not fair with him being the victim," she said.

Child Protective Services is also investigating.

NBC 5 typically does not identify alleged sexual assault victims.

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