Bullying video shows middle schooler pouring milk on another student, punching her repeatedly

WENTZVILLE, Mo. (KMOV/Gray News) – A bullying incident at a Missouri middle school was caught on camera, and the video has sparked parents to push school leaders to do something about it.

The 36-second video taken Tuesday during lunch hour at Wentzville Middle School shows one student approach another student named Byata and pour chocolate milk on her head. The video shows 21 seconds go by without any staff members intervening. Then, the student comes back and punches Byata in the head several times.

Byata’s parents claim the school district has swept bullying under the rug for years and said they are “embarrassed” and “infuriated” with school leaders.

“For a school district to allow something like that to happen and not intervene right away or be aware that a situation like that is occurring, it’s mind-baffling to me,” Byata’s mother Melissa Alan said.

Alan and Byata’s father Paul Tripp said this isn’t the first instance of bullying involving their daughter. Tripp said just two weeks ago, Byata accidentally stepped on another student’s shoe, and the girl punched Byata in the head “over and over again.”

Alan and Tripp said they’ve been to Wentzville Middle School and talked with school leaders several times about ongoing bullying involving their daughter. The video from Tuesday, which has been posted on social media, caused a stir among other Wentzville parents. Many said the school hasn’t taken bullying seriously for years.

Another parent, Patrick Vining, said he wasn’t surprised to see the video from Tuesday surface. His son is a junior at Wentzville High School and was the victim of a bullying incident in 2019 when he was in eighth grade. Vining said his son was punched in the head several times.

“As a parent, no one wants to see their child go through that,” Vining said.

Vining said he got an attorney involved because the school wasn’t taking the incident seriously. Now, he, Alan, Tripp and other parents are begging school leaders to act and make changes.

“We need to bring this to light. We need more people to come out and share their stories,” Vining said.

Alan and Tripp echoed that sentiment, saying they plan to go to the next school board meeting to have these issues addressed.

KMOV asked school leaders to address Tuesday’s incident and others during an on-camera interview. They declined, but sent this statement:

“We had staff supervising the incident that occurred yesterday at lunch. We do not tolerate this type of behavior in our schools. Our team has completed its investigation and appropriate discipline has been given. The Wentzville School District works hard to create a space that is safe for learning, and we will continue to prioritize students’ well-being as we head into summer.”

Tripp and Alan told KMOV they are pressing charges against the student who poured milk on and repeatedly punched their daughter.

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