An Ohio mother, who admitted that she encouraged her 11-year-old to fight another child, has now been charged — along with her daughter.
The mom, Daja Cox, told WCMH that her child was getting bullied by a girl on her bus. Cox said they tried to work the issue out with staff at Champion Middle School but didn’t get anywhere.
That’s when the mom told her child to fight, she explained:
“I told her, you know if they’re going to keep bullying you, you’re going to have to handle it… I had to tell my daughter to fight. Pick the biggest one out of the crew and get on her, then everyone else will leave you alone.”
On April 8, Cox’s 11-year-old waited until the school bus pulled up to her stop, then attacked the other child. Sgt. John Blubaugh with Columbus Division of Police told WCMH:
“The suspect jumped on top of the victim and started punching her. I think we counted 10 punches.”
As the fight was going down, Cox and her 18-year-old son boarded the bus and started shouting threats. A security camera captured the incident as it happened.
The mother and son were both charged with disorderly conduct. Cox’s 11-year-old was charged with assault for the incident.
The victim’s mother, Donita Sinett, said that it was Cox’s daughter who was actually the bully. Now, her daughter Sanita is struggling, she said:
“I think moreso emotionally, she’s more damaged emotionally than she was physically.”
Sinett said that she also tried to ask the school for help but wasn’t given any.
Sgt. Blubaugh said that no matter the situation, no parent should encourage their child to fight. He said:
“The fact is you don’t take it into your own hands you go to the school., you work it out there. You don’t get justice on your own. That’s not how it’s supposed to work.”
Columbus City Schools has not commented publicly about the incident.
