ATLANTA — Editor's note: The video above is previous coverage of the incident.
The mother of a middle school student who was allegedly stabbed multiple times during a school fight in Henry County is suing school administrators, according to the attorney's office representing them.
The mother, Ashley Wilson, said her daughter was attacked at Ola Middle School and that administrators knowingly ignored threats that could have prevented the incident.
She sent her daughter to the school like it was any other day.
But it wasn't.
She got a call later about which hospital she wanted her child to go to. When she got there and the ambulance doors opened, she said she was in shock at her daughter's condition. She would have fallen to the ground if it weren't for the support of other family members, she recalled.
"Her blonde hair was no longer blonde. It was red," Wilson said. "The clothes she went to school with that day were not on her. She was bandaged up. You couldn't see really any part of her face at all. She was just covered in blood everywhere."
It all happened in March at the Henry County middle school. The lawsuit stated that on March 14, a day before the incident, a student made threats that they had a knife and intended to use it.
Wilson's daughter was with friends walking to gym class when the student who'd made threats before approached her and started an argument, documents read. According to the complaint, teachers were nearby and did not stop the alleged harassment. Wilson said her daughter told the other student to leave her alone and tried to walk away several times.
When her daughter entered the gym, she was stabbed at least 14 times "across her body, including her face and chest."
Wilson said the only reason why her daughter is still alive is because of a courageous 13-year-old who stepped in to help.
"They [the school] didn't do the most important job they were supposed to do, which is to protect our children," Wilson said. "They didn't do it. So, they failed miserably."
Following the incident, a school district spokesperson said the object was confiscated by administrators and law enforcement. The student was taken into custody and is facing charges.
"We cannot stress enough that weapons or dangerous objects of any kind are never allowed on our campuses and any activity of this nature will result in an immediate and appropriate response," the district spokesperson said in March.
According to the lawsuit, the child sustained life-altering injuries and "immeasurable psychological and emotional scarring," adding that Wilson's daughter now deals with night terrors, panic attacks and anxiety.
The attorney representing the family, Andrew Gould, said the Henry County School District did not follow its policies regarding the complaint a day prior to the incident regarding a student with a knife. The school administration, the lawyer stated, was notified by a school resource officer, but the district did not act.
According to school district policy, an investigation must be conducted. However, according to the complaint, no investigation occurred and the families were not contacted.
The purpose of the lawsuit is to get justice for the young woman and to also hold administrators accountable for youth violence that can happen inside schools, Gould said.
"Our goal is that this sends a message across the state and any other school district that this type of behavior will not be tolerated," Gould said. "That you as an administrator do not have the choice when you know that a student on campus has a dangerous weapon. You don't have a choice. You don't have the discretion on whether or not to investigate. You must investigate."
The Henry County School District did not provide a statement regarding the lawsuit as it does not comment on open legal matters.