Worried community members in Newburgh reached out to News 12 with renewed safety concerns after a student assault that was caught on video shows a teen visibly hurt.

The video shows the end of an attack where a Newburgh Free Academy student is punched in the face on the floor and beaten with a metal desk.

The dazed teen eventually gets up visibly hurt and bleeding – leading people who anonymously alerted News 12 to the video to us to question how long the fight went on before the recording started and an adult noticed.

The Newburgh Enlarged School District says the incident happened between classes, that the teacher was outside of the door and rushed in within seconds – as seen in the video.

“Violence in our schools is not tolerated. The teacher was at the doorway during the change of classes, as required. An altercation erupted between two students for approximately 10 seconds. The teacher alerted security and responded, stopping the fight. Students involved will be held to the standards agreed upon in the Code of Conduct. The district is assisting the City of Newburgh Police Department with their investigation,” says district communications specialist Cassie Skarlz.

Superintendent Jackielyn Manning-Campbell issued a letter to parents on Nov. 1 about the incident that did not address whether or not an adult was present to intervene during the attack.

“The district educates our scholars on ways in which they can approach and resolve conflict in a productive manner. Unfortunately, movies, video games and other forms of media tend to glorify violence without highlighting the true consequences of such behavior.”

As News 12 has reported, Newburgh is among schools nationwide that have seen an increase in violence for several years. According to the New York state Education Department, Newburgh showed no assaults, however, at Newburgh Free Academy under their Dignity for All Students Act (DASA) reporting for the 2021 to 22 school year, which is the most recent data available.

News 12, however, reported on at least four incidents during that school year – including a pistol whipping, two teens attacked during a security breech, a hallway melee and a knife fight.

As for this latest incident, the district says it was turned over to police. The extent of the student’s injuries is not known.

News 12 reached out to the Newburgh school district about the apparent discrepancy in the DASA information reported to the state and are waiting to hear back. News 12 also reached out to the City of Newburgh Police Department for information about the investigation into the recent attack.