Osceola sheriff addresses incident at high school, announces anti-bullying campaign with Miss Florida

OSCEOLA COUNTY, Fla. - Osceola County Sheriff Marcos Lopez on Tuesday addressed the media about an incident that happened earlier this year at a Kissimmee high school.

The Osceola County Sheriff's Office said on Oct. 27, 2021, three Liberty High School students were identified and charged in a "battery incident."

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Osceola County Schools released a statement about the fight on Twitter after video of the skirmish recently surfaced and went viral on social media.  

"Many of you have brought to our attention a video involving several students and a physical altercation at Liberty High School. The incident occurred in October and the students received the appropriate discipline. Student safety is of the utmost importance for our students," the tweet read.

Sheriff Lopez emphasized that even though video of the altercation has only recently surfaced, his agency took action on the day it occurred and charges were brought against the students.

"After an immediate investigation, our agency members were able to collect the documents and determine all the facts.  We sent the information to the State Attorney's Office for their review," Sheriff Lopez added. "They currently have our case and will determine if criminal charges are forthcoming."

Osceola County Sheriff Marcos Lopez teams up with Miss Florida Ashley Cariño for an anti-bullying campaign.

Sheriff Lopez said school violence was unacceptable, and his agency took this opportunity to team up with Miss Florida, Ashley Cariño, to create an anti-bullying campaign.

"Now I'm going to say that this specific case is a bullying case, because it's in the hands of the state attorney," Sheriff Lopez added.

"I myself was a victim of bullying growing up.  I experienced emotional abuse, name-calling…and it escalated to physical abuse," Cariño said during a news conference. "But what helped me was the support of my parents – that they didn't chuck it up to simply child's play – because the reality is that bullying can have serious effects, emotional effects and long term effects on our students."

Because not every child has the same coping mechanisms, Cariño said parents and teachers should take action to communicate that there is zero-tolerance for bullying in schools.

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