CINCINNATI — A Cincinnati Public Schools (CPS) student claims a masked stranger slapped her outside of her middle school last month.
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Jaria Brown told our news partners at WCPO that she was walking to the entrance of Ethel M. Taylor Academy on a Friday morning when four people approached her. Two of them were fellow students, but the other two were strangers.
She said the group mistook her for another girl who had been involved in a fight the day before and tried to attack her.
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Brown’s family told WCPO that a school resource officer tried to intervene but was overwhelmed by the group.
“The boy comes behind (the school resource officer). He tries to hit me, but then he ends up smacking the security guard,” Brown said.
She then said he tried again and ended up slapping her.
“And then I was in shock for a few seconds,” she added.
Brown called her aunt, Jewell Copeland, on FaceTime after the incident happened. Copeland said she was hysterical on the phone.
“You can see her cheek is red from where he slapped her. All she’s saying is, ‘A grown man slapped me, a grown man slapped me. They tried to jump me,’” Copeland said.
The family told WCPO that they’re concerned that one of the attackers was wearing a ski mask. They were also larger than the typical students.
The district initially told WCPO they had no record of the incident, but later issued a statement saying they were “aware of a physical altercation” at the school.
“It was quickly contained, and there is no ongoing safety concern. The matter is under review,” CPS said in a statement.
Cincinnati police records show officers were called to the school on reports of an assault. The family said they have not gotten any updates from the department since it happened.
“He could’ve had anything in his hand when he slapped her that could’ve cut her, in any way. It could’ve been worse than just a slap,” Copeland said.
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