During Denton Independent School Board’s regular meeting on Tuesday, members were unexpectedly confronted by students and parents expressing concerns about bullying, prompted by a violent incident on a school bus the previous month.
The incident occurred on Tuesday, April 23, around 4:08 p.m. in the 1600 block of E. McKinney Street. A school bus driver from Denton ISD called 911 to report a fight that had broken out on the bus. Subsequently, another call was made around 4:14 p.m. by a woman reporting that her daughter had been jumped by multiple individuals in the 3500 block of E. McKinney Street. Responding officers found a 13-year-old girl injured at the scene.
The victim informed investigators that she had been attacked by another juvenile girl and an adult woman on the school bus, and then assaulted again after exiting the bus.
Denton ISD issued a statement on Friday, May 3, denouncing the incident, which was captured on video. The district stated that one of the students involved has been removed from campus and will not return, as per standard procedure during such investigations. Additionally, the adults involved have been trespassed from all Denton ISD properties. Transportation officials have addressed the bus driver and reinforced procedures following the incident.
Denton Police assigned the case to the Special Victims Unit for further investigation, leading to the arrest of 21-year-old Traveonna Mays on charges of injury to a child, a third-degree felony. Mays, who turned herself in, has since bonded out.
During the public comments section of Tuesday’s meeting, the victim and her mother shared their ordeal, expressing disappointment in the school’s response. Other parents also spoke up about repeated bullying incidents involving their children, although the board did not address the issue during the meeting.
