Teen With Special Needs In Tears As Bullies Shave His Head While Security Guard & Classmates Laugh
Nobody stepped in to help.
TikTok / Twitter A video taken at a California high school has gone viral for all the wrong reasons after the footage documented a horrific bullying incident.
The clip, which was filmed at Arvin High School in the town of Arvin, just outside of Bakersfield, California, shows a group of teens taunting a fellow student who is said to have special needs.
Bullies shaved the head of a classmate with special needs at Arvin High School.
The video, which has now garnered over 11.1 million views, was first shared on Twitter.
“A boy at Arvin high school who has special needs has been being bullied. And yesterday a group of boys brought clippers to the school and shaved patches off of his hair in front of everyone while people recorded and laughed,” the post read.
A group of boys are seen recording as one of their friends shaves the boy’s head, whose name is Javier Santiago. The group laughs as Santiago wipes tears from his eyes.
The video also shows a security guard at the school laughing among the group.
People were quick to share their outrage under the post.
“If it's anything like most schools these days, absolutely nothing will happen. Schools all say they're against bullying, and yet they protect the bullies,” one person wrote.
“The fact that not one student stood up for him and put a stop to this. As a bystander, speak up, do the right thing, protect those who can’t protect themselves. Have some balls and stand up for someone who needs it. Do better students,” another user wrote.
The school district took action against the students.
After the social media outcry the boy’s school, Arvin High School, shared on Instagram that they were officially taking action against the bullies.
However, the statement doesn’t mention if any action will be taken against the security guard.
Santiago’s family spoke out.
Following the video, Santiago’s mother spoke with Telemundo about the situation, saying she wants those in the video to be held responsible for their actions.
Santiago’s grandmother also spoke on the situation, saying through an interpreter, “I feel so sad, I was crying. I can't believe this was happening to my grandson.”
The names of the boys have not been released.
Victoria Soliz is a writer with YourTango who covers news and entertainment content. Her work explores pop culture trends, film and TV, and celebrity news