SAUGUS Spring Ahead One Hour Saturday Night! D CAT Vol. 26, No.10 -FREE- www.advocatenews.net Published Every Friday PRIMARY DAY IN SAUGUS A AD ATCTE E 781-233-4446 Friday, March 8, 2024 “I Need to Protect My Daughter” The mother of a 13-year-old girl beaten in videotaped Middle School incident vows to fi le criminal charges By Mark E. Vogler 13-year-old girl with a learning disability was bullied and beaten by another girl in a gym class at the Saugus Middle-High School on Monday while classmates cheered and videotaped the incident on their cell phones, acA TWO-PARTY HOUSE: Christopher and Eunice Mekalian were among the 5,755 town residents who voted in Tuesday’s Presidential Primary. They waited outside the Saugus Senior Center. Chris voted in the Democratic Primary. Eunice voted Republican. Please see inside for more photos and Presidential Primary coverage. (Saugus Advocate Photo by Tara Vocino) ~ Home of the Week ~ This Cape Cod style home features eight rooms and offers three bedrooms. The kitchen boasts granite countertops, and there’s a fireplace in the living room which opens up to the dining room. The stunning first-floor living room adds to the charm of the home. With two and a half baths, including one on the first floor, this home also includes a main bedroom on the first floor and an alarm system. Situated on a large corner lot, this property is located in a super convenient location. 128 MAIN STREET, SAUGUS Carpenito Real Estate is now Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Commonwealth Real Estate OFFERED AT $660,000 (781) 233-7300 335 Central St. Saugus Commonmoves.com ©2024 BHH Affiliates, LLC. An independently owned and operated franchisee of BHH Affiliates, LLC. Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices and the Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices symbol are registered service marks of Columbia Insurance Company, a Berkshire Hathaway affiliate. Equal Housing Opportunity. cording to the girl’s mother. “Nobody aided her or protected her – nobody did anything to help her. They all just cheered and took pictures and video,” the girl’s mother told The Saugus Advocate this week. “Beating up kids and making videos of it isn’t okay. There needs to be consequences for something as horrible as this. Even with the videotaping, those kids need to be disciplined,” she said. “It was a vicious and violent attack. My daughter suff ered a mild concussion and was traumatized. She was kicked in the head, kicked in the knee, kicked in the back and kicked in the stomach. The girl who did this ripped out part of my daughter’s hair.” The Saugus Advocate has not named the mother of the eighth-grade girl who was beaten in order to protect her privacy as a juvenile and victim. In an interview Wednesday, the mother said she is not satisfi ed with the way school offi - cials have responded in the aftermath of the incident. “I do intend to press charges. I will go to the Juvenile Department at Lynn District Court and fi le the papers,” she said. “I care about my daughter’s wellbeing and safety. I don’t feel she’s safe right now. I need to protect my daughter. I just feel criminal charges need to be fi led. A slap on the wrist isn’t going to do it,” she said. Meanwhile, videos of the beating – some of which were sent to the victim – have been circulated throughout town. It’s gotten the attention of several town offi cials, some who say the beating and other recent incidents demonstrate the need for Saugus Public Schools to hire a School Resource Offi cer (SRO). “I was disgusted to watch the video of the brawl at the SMHS three weeks ago which was very hushed up, then to see this latest fi ght Monday it brings into question what’s going on there,” Selectman Anthony Cogliano said. “The behavior is unacceptable. With all the talk lately about an SRO, these latest incidents confi rm the need to hire that position in our schools,” Cogliano said. “As a parent of a child that was bullied at SHS, this fi ght hit home for me. The girl that initiated the assault as well as the others who would rather videotape someone taking a vicious beating should all be suspended from school.” So far, Saugus Public School offi cials have not commented on the incident or the video. They have not responded to the newspaper. “It’s concerning,” Saugus PoPROTECT| SEE PAGE 2 Mid-grade Regular $3.88 98 64 87 Over 45 Years of Excellence! Full Service $3.47 Order online at angelosoil.com
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