BATESVILLE, Ind. — The mother of two Batesville students is speaking out about the punishment her sons received after she said they were only defending themselves from attacks by other students.
Video of both fights ended up on social media nearly three weeks ago.
Julie Redelman said she waited to speak about what's in them because she feared retaliation on her oldest son, who plays football. She was concerned he wouldn't get a chance to play if she spoke out.
Now that the season has come to an end, Redelman is talking about the video she says made her sick to her stomach.
"I'd like to know exactly what they expect them to do. Just lay there and get whaled on, until an adult sees it or steps in?" she said.
Those are the questions Redelman has for administrators at Batesville High School after she said both of her sons were suspended for three days for fighting back after other students hit them first.
"I've been one of those, 'Never start a fight, but always finish it,' moms," Redelman said.
That's what she said each of her sons was doing in videos taken by other students and posted to social media nearly three weeks ago.
The first video appears to be taken on a school bus. Redelman explained it was a group of freshman students headed to a field trip. You can see her son sitting in a seat.
This part is not shown, but Redelman said the student sitting next to her 15-year-old son had just switched seats to sit next to him.
In the video, you can see that student saying something to Redelman's son. She said he was verbally taunting him.
Then you can see Redelman's son say something back, before the other student punches him and Redelman's son fights back.
When Redelman saw her son's injuries, which she said consisted of a goose egg on his head, a busted lip on the inside and scratches on his face, she filed a police report.
According to Redelman, her 15-year-old and the student he had a fight with were both suspended from school for three days and had to go to an off-site facility through Ripley County's Alternative To Suspension Program.
According to the district's superintendent, in the program, students who have been suspended from school, go to a centralized location to do their school work and community service.
Redelman said her son served his suspension alongside the same student he had fought with the day before.
She said the student told her son on the first day of suspension, "Your brother's going to get rocked today."
Later that same day, Redelman said she got a call from the school, telling her that her 17-year-old son, who is a junior at Batesville High School, had also been in a fight.
In this case, there was video, too.
Redelman said this time it was her 17-year-old who defended himself after three students confronted him for comments he made on social media defending his younger brother for the fight on the bus.
Redelman said those students attacked her older son and, like his younger brother, he also fought back. She said he also got suspended for three days, alongside the other students in the fight.
Redelman filed a police report in that case, too.
She also created a video, showing footage of both fights, calling out the high school for giving her kids the same punishment as the students that she said started it.
In hindsight, Redelman said she'd tell her kids to handle it the same way again.
"Stand up for yourself, that's all you really can do, regardless of consequences, because you don't want to be someone's punching bag," she said.
The school superintendent told 13News he couldn't comment on specific cases of discipline, but that what happened with these students is not a common occurrence. The superintendent said he always appreciates a parent's perspective and that the school followed their policy and are now moving on.