INDIANAPOLIS — A student is recovering after an assault left him unconscious and covered in blood in the halls of Perry Meridian High School.
The attack on Sept. 12 has led the student's family and a national student safety organization to call for immediate change to protect students at the high school.
Now, the One In Five Foundation For Kids (formerly the Uvalde Foundation for Kids) is launching a "review of unaddressed violence at the school."
"We believe he has lifelong injuries that will take time to heal," said Catherine Micheal, an attorney for the boy's family.
Graphic photos of the boy's injuries show a deep gash on his forehead, along with other scrapes and cuts. He was unconscious when he was taken by ambulance to an Indianapolis hospital.
Attorneys for his family say other students took photos of him as he lay bleeding on the floor and posted them on social media.
In a statement, a Perry Meridian Schools representative said:
"Within seconds of the incident, a Perry Township Schools police officer and school personnel intervened. The suspect was arrested and taken into police custody, and the victim was given medical attention. This was an isolated incident. "
The Perry Township Police Department is investigating the incident.
But the attorneys for the boy's family disagree. They say the assault "underscores a growing and alarming pattern of violence and bullying within Indiana public schools, and Perry Meridian High School, in particular."
The prosecutor's office expects charges to be filed against the 15-year-old suspect in juvenile court this week.
The foundation also brought up an attack in February that left a 75-year-old substitute teacher with facial fractures. A 16-year-old student was charged with battery for that attack.
"The violent atmosphere that's going on there is completely unacceptable, and this is the result of what happens when you allow that to continue and it's got to stop," said Tammy Meyer, another lawyer for the family.
The boy's father provided a statement, saying, "As a father, nothing can prepare you for the devastation of seeing your child in a hospital bed, battered and broken. The sight of his injuries—his face swollen, his cheek slashed through, his head bandaged—is something no parent should ever have to endure."
The family is calling for changes in the school district, including "stricter anti-bullying policies, better training for staff to address violence, and increased and higher levels of supervision through school premises."
They also want any other families of students that have been "experienced similar issues" to come forward.
The One In Five Foundation for Kids is calling for an independent review of the school, and is asking the Indiana Board of Education to review the safety and response protocols at the school and in the district. They had previously called for change in Indiana, after Greenfield fourth-grader Sammy Teusch died by suicide in May.
The statement from the district says, "Although we cannot disclose details, we can say that any student who commits violent acts will be disciplined to the fullest extent as outlined in our Student Success Handbook."