SAN ANTONIO — An 8-second Snapchat video is circulating on the internet, showing Brandeis High School students beating up another student on a school bus.
Barry Perez, Executive Director of Communication for NISD, said the district is investigating the incident that involved three Brandeis high school students on Friday.
"It's important to note that certainly that video is very disturbing, but that video is one small piece of what the campus is looking at," Perez said. "There are certainly other pieces in their investigation in terms of information and evidence that the campus has collected and they will take action not necessarily on that small section of the video but any action that they take will be based on the entirety of their investigation."
Perez said the district is trying to determine what lead up to the fight and what happened afterward.
"I do know the driver did stop the bus, or the bus was not in the moving position; and I do know that the driver took appropriate action to get additional support there," Perez continued "I would be very cautious around labeling this a bullying incident until the campus has thoroughly investigated to be sure that is what is it."
However, the family, who has identified the student as 15-year-old Nicholas Ortiz, said no one intervened while the beating was happening. Ortiz' mother has hired Attorney Gabe Quintanilla for representation.
Quintanilla spoke with KENS 5 on Tuesday, saying he decided to take on the case after hearing the mother's plea to help protect her son and his rights.
"There's no question it's a bullying incident," Quintanilla said. "You have a group of kids, surrounding another child, taunt him, and call him a f----t. That's harassment by any stretch of the imagination. I think any jury would believe/agree with that as well."
Quintanilla said due to the derogatory names and what was seen in the video clip, he believes Ortiz was bullied for his sexual orientation.
Perez said in an event where a student or staff member feels unsafe, Northside schools has qualified staff and resources on their campus that can help. You can also call their 24-hour hotline 210-397-7233, the system is anonymous.