A school bus altercation in New Orleans sent a bus monitor to the hospital with serious injuries.
According to WVUE, the confrontation took place on Thursday, Aug. 21, involving a bus monitor, a student, and the student’s mother on an Orleans Parish school bus.
The monitor, identified as Tamika Jackson, was treated in the emergency room for multiple injuries, including scratches and bite marks, the outlet reported.
The student attends McDonogh 35 College Preparatory High School, a charter school managed by InspireNOLA Charter Schools.
Tamika’s husband, Johnny Jackson, told WVUE that his wife’s injuries were extensive: “They pulled her hair out. They bit her in her face, on her lips, on her thumbs, [and] scratched [her] face. She has a large gash running across her face.”
PEOPLE reached out to McDonogh 35 College Preparatory High School and the New Orleans Police Department on Sunday, Aug. 24, but did not receive an immediate response.
In a statement to PEOPLE, InspireNOLA confirmed it is “actively investigating” the matter.
“InspireNOLA Charter Schools is aware of an unfortunate incident that took place Thursday afternoon on a school bus transporting students,” the statement read. “We are actively investigating the matter in collaboration with the school bus company and local authorities. The safety and well-being of our students and staff remain a top priority.”
Johnny Jackson said the altercation began after his wife told the student she could not sit in the last two rows of the bus. He explained that Tamika suspected students in the back seats “may be doing some lewd acts,” and that after the refusal, the student called her mother, who boarded the bus later in the route.
According to Johnny, the situation escalated when the student’s mother “just reaches out and hits [Tamika] in the face, and then the assault occurs, so now the daughter joins the fray.”
A video obtained by WVUE shows Tamika being attacked by both the student and the mother on a nearly empty bus. Another adult was present but did not intervene.
WVUE also reported seeing photos of Tamika’s injuries, which included a swollen lip, facial cuts, and a bald spot where her hair had been pulled out.
“What’s happening with our youth? How disrespectful our youth have become, and rebellious,” Johnny said.
He also told WVUE that the New Orleans Police Department issued his wife a municipal court summons after the fight. Officers reportedly said that without reviewing video evidence, they had to treat the incident as a “routine fight.”
The NOPD, which did not respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment, told WVUE there were no official reports in their system regarding the altercation.
