Beaten High Schooler to be Home Schooled

"Family To Home-School Victim Of Videotaped Attack"
TBO (Tampa Bay Online) (April 8, 2008)

"Questions Remain About Beating"
The Ledger (April 9, 2008)

You may have run into this in the news: Victoria Lindsay was an honor student and cheerleader at "Mulberry High School," in Lakeland, Florida.

Victoria Lindsay had been staying at the home of an alleged friend, Mercades Nichols, on March 30, 2008, when about a half dozen other teens showed up, beat the cheerleader up, and videotaped their little party. Apparently they wanted to post the video online.

Victoria's mother was quoted in a Tampa Bay Online (TBO) article: "I think it's trash. Simple trash that people want to feed off of and it's sick." I'm inclined to agree.

Victoria Lindsay will live, but she got

• A concussion
• Hearing loss
• Blurred vision

I suppose I should add "allegedly."

The TBO article adds that Victoria Lindsay will be home-schooled for the rest of the year.

Smart.

At least one of the parents of the alleged attackers in the alleged incident is smart, too.

"According to the mother of one of the suspects, the victim of the beating, Victoria Lindsay of Lakeland, posted numerous MySpace bulletins, or public messages, insulting the girls. Lindsay called them names and claimed the girls wouldn't fight her because they were too scared, said Christina Garcia, mother of Mercades Nichols." The Ledger (April 9, 2008)

Not a bad idea: blame the victim. Casting the alleged teenage attackers as victims of "cyberbullying" might get the kids off with a stern talking-to.

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None of my children were subjected to the sort of abuse that those Florida teens videotaped assault.

But then, none of my kids have gone to public high schools. Three of the four voluntarily chose to be home schooled following elementary school, and the fourth has stated an intent to follow suit.

More about home schooling at "California Outlaws Home Schooling: Yes, I'm Biased"
Through One Dad's Eye (March 21, 2008)