Minnesota Mother Speaks Out After 11-Year-Old Daughter Is Attacked Twice on Camera, Raising Questions About New School Bullying Law

An 11-year-old Minnesota girl has been left terrified of returning to school after allegedly being physically attacked by another student on two consecutive days, with disturbing footage of both incidents prompting her mother to demand action from school officials and state lawmakers.
Shannon Kobinski said her daughter, a sixth-grade student in Braham, Minnesota, had endured months of bullying before the situation escalated into two physical confrontations in October.
Videos shared with Alpha News reportedly show the girl being confronted moments after stepping off her school bus on October 26 and 27.
In one recording, the student allegedly pushes the 11-year-old, chases her and punches her in the face and head. In the second video, the girl is shoved to the ground.
Kobinski said her daughter did not fight back during either incident. Instead, she tried to retreat from the other student.
The mother said she initially did not know about the first attack because her daughter had allegedly been threatened with further consequences if she reported it.
She learned what had happened after a neighbor witnessed the second confrontation and helped obtain the videos.
Kobinski subsequently took her daughter to the hospital, where she said the incident was documented as an assault.
Mother says bullying continued despite previous suspensions
According to Kobinski, the harassment began during the previous school year and continued after classes resumed in September.
She alleged that the same student had repeatedly threatened, pushed and pulled her daughter’s hair. She also claimed the other girl had previously told her daughter to 𝘬iᩚll herself.
Kobinski said the school had suspended the student several times and removed her from the school bus on multiple occasions, but the alleged behavior continued.
The situation has become particularly distressing because the two families reportedly live in the same apartment complex.
Kobinski said her daughter is now afraid not only of attending school but also of going outside because she worries about encountering the other student.
New Minnesota law becomes central to the controversy
The mother’s frustration has also focused on Minnesota’s new juvenile justice legislation, which raised the minimum age for juvenile delinquency proceedings from 10 to 13.
The legislation, passed in 2024, took effect on August 1, 2026.
Under the new rules, children younger than 13 cannot be processed through the traditional juvenile delinquency system. Instead, cases involving alleged offenses by children in this age group may be handled through child protection services.
Kobinski said she was told that the age requirement prevented authorities from pursuing juvenile delinquency charges against the student accused of attacking her daughter.
She believes the change has made it harder to hold young offenders accountable and is calling on lawmakers to reconsider the legislation.
However, the law does not prevent police from investigating alleged offenses or child protection authorities from intervening.
School district responds to allegations
Braham Area Schools Superintendent Kenneth Gagner said the district investigated the October 26 and 27 incidents, along with other reports involving the students.
In a statement to Alpha News, he said the school had taken appropriate disciplinary action in accordance with district policies and procedures.
“At Braham Area Schools, the safety and wellbeing of our students remain our highest priority,” Gagner said.
He also explained that student privacy laws prevent the district from disclosing specific disciplinary measures taken against individual students.
Kobinski, however, remains dissatisfied with the school’s response. She questions why the two students continued to have contact despite previous complaints and disciplinary actions.
Community demands stronger protections
The case has sparked concern among parents and community members, who organized a demonstration outside Braham Area High School on November 5.
Protesters called for stronger protections for students and greater accountability when bullying escalates into physical violence.
Kobinski said she has contacted state officials, legislators and education authorities in an effort to secure help for her daughter.

For the mother, the priority is straightforward: she wants her child to feel safe enough to return to school without fearing another attack.
The disturbing videos have intensified the debate over how Minnesota should respond to repeated bullying, particularly when the students involved are younger than the state’s new juvenile justice threshold.
Source: Dailymail