Lorain student injured, another suspended after incident at high school

LORAIN — One student was injured while another was suspended after an altercation at Lorain High School oin Friday. Holly Smith said her son, Jose Castro, was jumped by anther student last Friday between classes. The 16-year-old junior suffered a broken nose, cut to his lip and a concussion, as diagnosed by staff at Mercy Health, she said. Video circulating on social media and shared with The Chronicle-Telegram showed another student ran up behind Castro, punching him and knocking him to the floor. When Castro picks his head up from the floor, there is blood on the tile. "He's not a problem child," Smith said of her son. "Everybody knows him as laid back." Smith said her son texted her, telling her he'd been "snuck," but she didn't really understand what he meant. She said she received a call from the school, but assumed it was for an event or something else — as she got no other notification from the district that Castro had been injured and the caller did not leave a voicemail. Still, she said she headed to the high school and asked to see him. She was told she would have to talk to the principal, which is when she was informed Jose had been attacked while walking on the second floor. Jose told her the suspect student had tried to get him to go into the bathroom, and when unsuccessful, attacked him in the hallway. Her son and the other student had gotten in an argument last school year over a girl, Smith said, but the boys had seen each other over the summer and she thought the conflict was resolved. She was told no staff had seen what happened between the two students, and the building's security cameras did not clearly capture the incident — instead she saw what was recorded by other students. On Wednesday she said she asked for the district's security footage after the incident, but had yet to receive it. She called Lorain police Friday afternoon, requesting a report. School Resource Officer Tom Orlosky completed the report, which notes he was informed of the fight about 12:10 p.m. Friday by Smith, but was told it took place earlier that morning. The report states the 16-year-old who reportedly attacked Castro faces charges of felonious assault and disorderly conduct. Lorain Schools confirmed via email Wednesday the fight had taken place and the student suspected of instigating it was immediately suspended. "As with any incident that causes a disruption to the learning environment — and/or jeopardizes the well-being of our scholars and staff — the Lorain City School District condemns such behavior, and continues to work with Officer Orlosky, Safety Director Reuben Figueroa and the district safety team to assure these incidents are held to a minimum," the district said in a statement. Smith still questions why her son's injuries were treated as just a "bloody nose," and why LifeCare was not called for the amount of blood he reportedly lost. She said her son didn't even remember how he got down the stairs to the nurse's office after the incident — he apparently was carried there by two other students. According to the police report, Jose was treated by the school nurse for the laceration on his lip and given an ice pack. The district did not suggest she take her son to the hospital, she said. "My son has been isolating himself in his room, doesn't want to talk. I'm trying to get him back into the routine — come on, we've got to go back to school," she said. "He hasn't been back to school since this has happened. I haven't got a phone call from the school other than the officer (Figueroa) today. Not the principal, nothing." She is unsure if her son will return to Lorain Schools after the incident. Contact Carissa Woytach at 329-7245 or cwoytach@chroniclet.com.