A Lakeland fifth grader was arrested Thursday for posting a video on TikTok depicting her killing another student.
Shockingly, when the mother of the victim reported the video to school officials, they refused to act. Instead, the school resource officer effectively trespassed the victim’s mom for reporting the violent threat.
The ugly scene unfolded at Rosabelle W. Blake Academy in Lakeland, part of the Polk County School District.
After Trisha Brown, the mother of the victim, a white 11-year-old girl, brought the video to the attention of school administrators on Monday, Blake Academy refused to take action. Brown pulled her daughter out of the school on Tuesday after confirming with Blake Academy that the aggressor student, a black 5th grade female who made the video, had not faced any disciplinary action and was in class that day.
After two more days of the school shrugging off the incident, Brown returned to the school, this time bringing with her a May 31 court date from the Polk County Court, showing that she had a hearing to gain a protective order against the student who made the video.
After reporting the incident to the school resource officer, Brown left the property. Shortly after she left, the school resource officer called her and told her she was not welcome to return to the school.
Frustrated, Brown turned to Citizens Defending Freedom, a non-profit organization, which helps empower parents and Americans who feel like there is nowhere else to turn when their rights are violated. Representatives from Citizens Defending Freedom recommended for her to report the incident to law enforcement and escalate the report to the Florida Department of Education.
Upon bringing the case to the attention of the Florida Department of Education in Tallahassee on Thursday, Brown was later told that the student who made the video had been arrested by the Lakeland Police Department.
“My daughter has been subjected to violent threats from another student for more than a week, and Blake Academy refused to take any action at all,” said Brown. “The manner in which the school handled this incident is totally unacceptable, and the fact that I had to spend the past week fighting for my daughter’s safety tells me that there is something horribly wrong going on inside the Polk County School District. This is just the beginning of this battle. I will do everything in my power to ensure that justice is served to the girl who heinously threatened my daughter’s life.”
According to representatives from Citizens Defending Freedom, this isn’t the only Polk County School with leaders making questionable decisions. Citizens Defending Freedom has been battling to have violent and pornographic books removed from schools across Florida.
One of those books is called Assassination Classroom, where students visibly gun down their teacher in the classroom. After Citizens Defending Freedom challenged the book at Mulberry High School in Polk County, a 12-person panel at the school voted 11-1 to keep the Assassination Classroom series in the school library. The principal of the school determined the books were appropriate for 6th-8th grade students, while the rest of the 12-person panel suggested they were more suitable for 9th-12th grade students.
“It certainly seems like the leaders within this school district have a history of refusing to take action, and have abdicated their duty to listen to parents and protect students,” said James Judge, the national spokesman for Citizens Defending Freedom. “But whether they are threats of violence like this one, or providing students with pornographic and violent materials in libraries, schools increasingly seem interested in working against parents. Rather, it seems school officials believe they should not be accountable to parents at all. This is another reason why Citizens Defending Freedom exists, and we’re proud of our Florida team who helped this mother in need while justice was wrongly delayed by Blake Academy.”
Follow-up story – PCPS Statement Regarding Incident at Blake Academy Click here
Just so everyone knows this girl made two videos, she is shooting two different classmates in each video. I personally drove to the Bartow district office for the school board twice, and 3 other county buildings yesterday. Talked to 12 different people, left messages Dr. Ben Henny and Wayne Green (the Deputy Superintendent) no one has called me back, with the exception of Polk County Sheriff’s Office. I did send a tip to the Florida Department of Education Office of Safe Schools, who did their job, and the Child was charged, and an investigation is being conducted. Because as it turned out a video being made showing a shooting in a school, between two students at the school matters even if it is not made at the schools.
Please get your facts straight, the minute the video was brought to their attention Lakeland PD was envied and the student was never arrested. The parent went absolutely crazy and had to be trespassed from the school as they were working to do what they had to just not in a fast enough manner but you can’t snap your fingers to make sure something was done about it right then and there. There’s steps you have to take and they are taking every one of them. But your “facts” in this case are 100% wrong. If you’re going to report something make sure it’s factual and not speculation
Good story but no need to list there race it could of just as well white on white or black on black by listing race your just stirring the pot of race hate
Black people stir that pot why can’t white?? Member the huge movement. BLACK LIVES MATTER. We’ll do do white!!