No Beating Case 'Hoopla' At Mulberry High School

MULBERRY | It has been back to books as usual for students at Mulberry High School this week following the spring break arrests of six students involved in the filmed beating of former cheerleader and student Victoria Lindsay.

"It's another happy week," Principal George Hatch said. "School is going on and we are teaching the kids. This is more of a sideline thing that is discussed at lunch and before and after school."

Last week, Polk deputies arrested Mulberry students April Cooper, Cara Murphy, Britney Mayes, Brittini Hardcastle, Kayla Hassell and Mercades Nichols. Two boys, who did not attend the school, were also arrested. The State Attorney's Office on Thursday charged the teens, who range in age from 14 to 18 years old, as adults.

But the arrests didn't cause a stir in the school's daily grind. That wasn't a surprise to Hatch.

"Most kids didn't even know what happened," he said. "It wasn't an issue until the news media made it an issue."

Following Monday's news conference by Polk Sheriff Grady Judd, who released a video clip of the beating, the story gained national media attention.

Hatch said students who were friends with Lindsay and the accused students are taking sides in the debate about the beating, but the discussions have not resulted in any violence or discipline problems.

"It has not been a big hoopla."

There have been no reports of disruptions, just the occasional calls from reporters and television crews.

"To be quite honest, there have been more pressing matters," Hatch said.

In the past week, his stepmother died, he's had to tell 10 teachers they won't be returning to their jobs at the school and he is in the planning stages of creating a seven-period class schedule for next year.

The six students who were arrested won't face disciplinary hearings with the Polk County School Board.

When students are charged by the State Attorney's Office with a felony and are taken to jail or juvenile detention, they are automatically withdrawn from public school, said Wes Bridges, the school board's lawyer.

"If one or more are released and are wanting to re-enter our schools, that is when it (a hearing) would become a question," he said. "At such time, the superintendent and her staff would consider if the presence of that child would pose an adverse impact on other students if they were to return to the school."

[ Jeremy Maready can be reached at 863-802-7592 or jeremy.maready@theledger.com. ]