Concerns about bullying in Moreno Valley schools rise after new fight video comes out

MORENO VALLEY, Calif. - School officials confirmed that a fight took place Wednesday at Sunnymead Middle School and that no one was seriously hurt.

They say the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department is reviewing the case. The school has added extra police patrols on campus as a precaution. 

Parents here are angry and upset and they say they’ve had enough.

Cell phone video taken Wednesday morning inside a classroom at Sunnymead Middle School in Moreno Valley shows what 8th grader Jazmin Delatorre says are the moments she was attacked by a female classmate. She says her alleged aggressor followed her into her first-period classroom and began swinging:

“She just like went around the teacher and swung at me and then I went back so she didn’t hit me and then like she grabs me and then we just started hitting each other,” said Delatorre.

A classmate recorded the violent incident on a cell phone. 

“These other girls jumped in they started pulling my hair and started hitting me,” Delatorre continued. 

A parent caught wind of the video and shared it with Karla Palumbo who posted it on her community Facebook page.

“I posted it to give more pressure to the district and the school itself. To let the school know, there’s no longer going to be a coverup. You guys have to do something,” said Palumbo.

RELATED: New video of fight at a Moreno Valley school heightens concerns about bullying in the district

Palumbo says she’s received multiple videos of fighting within the Moreno Valley Unified School District which she believes fosters a culture of violence. These latest videos come after a 13-year-old boy named Diego was killed after a fight at Landmark Middle School last month. Two middle school boys face criminal charges in connection with his death.  

“Now it seems like kids have the power to say it and to do it without no consequences and I do believe it does start from home,” said Palumbo. 

Palumbo caught the alleged aggressor and her mom pulling up to the school this morning amid a crush of media cameras. 

“The aggressor was actually laughing thinking it was funny and the mom is blaming the victim.”

Meanwhile, Delatorre her mom met with school officials today who told them the girl responsible was suspended. Delatorre is now going to be homeschooled and had these words for her alleged aggressors:

“Karma is going to make its way around. So, for those girls that did stuff to me, they’re going to get what they deserve,” said Delatorre. 

Delatorre's mom says she plans to press charges. She also tells us her daughter will be homeschooled until they can get her into another school. 

We reached out to district officials Thursday issued this statement:

“We are determined to keep our students safe. We need the support from all parents, students and staff to ensure we can put an end to this behavior.”

The district will be holding a special meeting to look for community solutions to bullying at Landmark Middle School at 6 p.m.