A 12-year-old in the US was severely injured after her mother accidentally ran her over on her first day of school. According to People, the incident took place on Monday morning outside Boker Middle School in Florida. The mother, 30, was dropping her daughter off when she accidentally hit her. The child was airlifted to Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital in St. Petersburg with critical injuries, cops said. 

According to the Florida Highway Patrol (FHP), the 12-year-old had dropped some markers and pens and bent down to pick them up from under the vehicle. Tragically, however, the mother did not realise what her daughter was doing and began to drive off, running over her. “She immediately stopped when she heard her child screaming,” FHP Trooper Kenn Watson said, per People. 

A Sarasota County Schools spokesperson confirmed the accident, saying, “A parent accidentally hit their child as the parent was dropping the child off on the street”. “The school district encourages all families to follow district & school safety protocols and use the designated student pickup and drop off areas on school campuses,” they added. 

Separately, Mr Watson said, “Here we are, day one, and we’ve already had a tragedy. We’re hoping this does not happen again, but we have to remember to have that good spatial awareness when you are anywhere around a school zone and most certainly when you are letting your kid out of your vehicle”. 

“You want to avoid being in a hurry and dropping off our kids in the turn lane when we should be directly in front of the school,” he continued, adding, “This is a tragedy that one hundred percent could have been avoided by simply paying a little more attention and not being in a hurry.”

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In a message to families, Booker Middle School principal LaShawn Frost said the crash “serves as a reminder of the importance of following our established safety procedures”. 

“Please remember that students should not be dropped off in the middle of Myrtle Street,” the principal said. “This practice poses a significant risk to our students’ safety and the safety of others on the road,” he added. 

On Tuesday, officials said that the child is in stable condition. “Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital has advised that the 12-year-old victim has been upgraded to ‘Stable’ as of 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time,” said Mr Watson. 

Eleven school students in the US have been arrested for a violent fight at their high school. The incident took place at Matanzas High School in Palm Coast, Florida, on Monday afternoon in which the local police had to intervene. The Flagler County Sheriff’s Office posted the edited bodycam video showing the chaotic moments on X (formerly Twitter). The faces of the students are blurred in the 2 minute 51 second clip but they can be heard screaming and pushing a policeman.

On Monday, the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office arrested eleven students involved in a brawl at Matanzas High School. Of the students arrested, three were physically arrested on felony charges of… pic.twitter.com/4nChleWrKP

— Flagler County Sheriff’s Office (@FlaglerSheriff) October 10, 2023

Of the 11 arrested students, three face felony charges, ABC News said in a report.

All of the schools in Flagler County have at least two school resource deputies assigned to each campus and the two officers “immediately assisted teachers and administrators in attempting to break up the fight and disperse the crowd of on-lookers,” the outlet further said quoting the police.

“During the fight, a female student pushed Deputy King so they could attack another student. Deputy King grabbed the student and placed her in handcuffs. At the same time, Deputy Landi was working to control the situation and observed a male student run into the altercation. Deputy Landi then observed the student charging at a school staff member while swinging his arms, ultimately punching the staff member in the shoulder,” authorities said in their statement describing the chaotic situation.

“Another school administrator was attempting to escort a student away from the fight, when another male student ran up to the administrator and grabbed them. The student then battered the administrator before being taken to the Dean’s Office,” the statement further said.

Eight of the students had affidavits filed with the State Attorney’s Office recommending charges to be filed against them for misdemeanour offences, police said.

“The lack of respect demonstrated by these students is simply shameful. But actions have consequences. Parents, be the Sheriff in your home and teach your kids the importance of respecting teachers, staff, and deputies. Teach them how to handle disagreements and that fighting only leads to more violence. We have a zero-tolerance policy for violence at schools, and you will be arrested,” said Sheriff Rick Staly.

School authorities said parents of these students have been notified and an investigation into the cause of the fight is underway.