Student victim of alleged attacks and ongoing harassment

LEWISBURG, WV (WVNS) – An elementary school student was allegedly attacked; his parents claimed he was the victim of numerous bullying incidents.

Dorie Miller Park in Lewisburg is usually a quiet and peaceful place for families to enjoy the nice weather.

On Friday, May 31, 2024, the park was the scene of an alleged attack by classmates on a fifth-grader.

BJ Harris is a fifth-grader at Lewisburg Elementary School. BJ’s parents, Sonya and Jermaine Harris, tell 59News that their son has been subjected to bullying and harassment throughout the school year.

During a “family day” at Dorie Miller Park, a school-sanctioned event, BJ and his sister Sorinea said a group of boys harassed BJ and started a fight during a game.

“One kid actually grabbed (the bat) as BJ was moving to grab it. (The kid) took it away from him,” Sorinea said.

“The boy who was arguing with my sister came up to me and pushed me. I hit back,” BJ said.

BJ said he was attacked by four boys. BJ and his sister said no teachers were present at the time of the fight.

Sorinea said police were called because she was thought to be an adult, even though she was actually 17. She was there to enjoy the event with her brother and intervened to break up the fight between the boys.

The Harris family filed a complaint against the boys who allegedly attacked their son.

“I didn’t want to do this, but I had to because it was happening all year and the school knew about it but did nothing,” Jermaine Harris said.

Jermaine Harris told us he wants changes in the school system when it comes to children of color.

“I’m not very happy with Greenbrier Count right now, and I’m employed there. Just seeing what’s happening to our children of color makes me very unhappy,” Jermaine said.

Sonya Harris says she wants Greenbrier County schools to expand their ethnic knowledge and learn how to deal with bullying situations involving children of different races.

59News has contacted Lewisburg Elementary School but has not yet received a response.