For most sixth-graders, school is a place to learn, make friends and enjoy being a kid. But for one 11-year-old Braham girl, it’s become a place of fear after months of alleged relentless bullying culminated in two attacks at her school bus stop, both captured on video.
Now, her mother is demanding answers from school officials and calling for changes to a Minnesota law passed in 2024 under the state’s DFL trifecta that raised the minimum age for juvenile delinquency proceedings from 10 to 13. The law took effect Aug. 1, 2026, just months before the attacks.
Shannon Kobinski told Alpha News her daughter has been repeatedly harassed and physically assaulted by the same student since last school year, despite multiple suspensions and other disciplinary measures by the Braham Public School District.
Two videos provided to Alpha News show the other girl confronting Kobinski’s daughter as she exits the school bus near her home on Oct. 26 and 27.
Footage obtained by Alpha News shows the girl being attacked on two days, each time immediately after stepping off her school bus.
🚨WATCH: An 11-year-old Minnesota girl is attacked on consecutive days moments after stepping off her Braham Area Schools bus.
Her mother says months of bullying have gone unchecked and is demanding accountability.
A law passed in 2024 under Minnesota's Democratic trifecta now… pic.twitter.com/eoaxoyFP0o
— Jenna Gloeb (@JennaReports) November 5, 2026
In one incident, she is pushed, chased and punched in the face and head. In the other, she is shoved to the ground. In neither incident does the 11-year-old fight back. Instead, she retreats from her attacker.
Kobinski said her daugther concealed the first attack because the other girl threatened to “make things worse” if she told anyone. She learned of the assaults the following day when a neighbor witnessed the second attack and alerted her. The neighbor, who saw a student recording the incident, asked the student to send her the footage. The student complied, providing videos of both attacks, including the one from the previous day, which the neighbor then shared with Kobinski.
Kobinski took her daughter to the hospital that evening, where she said medical personnel documented the incident as an assault. She said the student accused of repeatedly attacking her daughter remains in school, while her daughter fears attending classes or even going outside because the two families live in the same apartment complex.
Frustrated by what she believes is a failure of both the school system and Minnesota’s juvenile justice laws to protect her daughter, Kobinski is taking her fight public.
Parents and community members are planning a demonstration Thursday, Nov. 5, from 1 to 3 p.m. on the public sidewalk outside Braham Area High School, demanding stronger protections for students and accountability for those who repeatedly bully and assault others.
Minnesota’s new juvenile justice law raises questions about accountability
Adding to Kobinski’s frustration is a Minnesota law that took effect just months before the alleged attacks.
In 2024, Minnesota lawmakers approved legislation raising the minimum age for juvenile delinquency proceedings from 10 to 13, effective Aug. 1, 2026.
Under the statute, children accused of committing delinquent acts before turning 13 can no longer be prosecuted through the traditional juvenile delinquency system for those offenses. Instead, they fall under the state’s child protection system, where they may be classified as children in need of protection or services.
Kobinski said police told her they could not pursue juvenile delinquency charges against the student because of the new law.
The Minnesota Department of Children, Youth, and Families acknowledges the consequences of the change in guidance issued to schools. According to the agency, students under 13 who commit crimes, regardless of severity, may return to school as soon as the following day.
Although the law does not prevent police from investigating alleged offenses or child protection authorities from intervening, it eliminates juvenile delinquency proceedings as an option for children in that age group.
Republican lawmakers attempted to preserve the previous minimum age of 10 through HF 287, introduced in 2025. However, that legislation appears to have stalled.
Kobinski believes the change has created a dangerous gap in accountability and wants lawmakers to restore the previous minimum age. She also believes parents should face greater consequences for their children’s violent behavior.
Kobinski said she has reached out to Gov. Tim Walz, state legislators, the Minnesota Department of Education, the Minnesota Department of Human Rights, the attorney general’s office and local news outlets in an effort to get help for her daughter.
Mother says months of bullying went unchecked
According to Kobinski, the trouble began the previous school year and ramped up when classes resumed in September.
During the first month of school, Kobinski said the student raised her fist at her daugther three times, pulled her hair on three occasions and repeatedly pushed her while she was getting off the school bus.
The student was suspended several times and removed from the bus on multiple occasions, according to Kobinski, but the behavior continued. She also alleges the student told her daugther to kill herself.
Kobinski maintains that school officials were aware of the ongoing problems and that the girls were supposed to be kept apart. Although the district reportedly told her it had taken “appropriate disciplinary action,” officials did not disclose the specifics.
During a meeting with Superintendent Kenneth Gagner and Principal Jeff Eklund, which Kobinski said she recorded, Eklund reportedly explained that the district does not expel students because all children deserve an education.
But Kobinski questions why that same consideration does not appear to extend to her daughter, who has missed school because she fears another attack. Kobinski said the district offered no alternative educational placement for the student accused of attacking her daugther.
Kobinski said the student accused of bullying her daughter has a history of bullying other students as well.
School district defends response to bullying allegations
Braham Area Schools Superintendent Kenneth Gagner told Alpha News that the district investigated the Oct. 26 and 27 incidents, along with other reports of alleged misconduct, and took disciplinary action.
“At Braham Area Schools, the safety and wellbeing of our students remain our highest priority,” Gagner said in a written statement. “We take all reports of bullying, harassment, and inappropriate student behavior seriously and are committed to addressing these concerns promptly and appropriately.”
Gagner said the district investigated the two incidents, “as well as other reports filed at various times,” and that “appropriate disciplinary action was taken in accordance with district policies and procedures.”
However, he declined to provide details, citing student confidentiality laws.
“We recognize and understand the frustration families may experience when they are unable to learn the specific consequences or actions taken in response to student misconduct,” Gagner said.
He acknowledged that confidentiality requirements can create the perception that complaints are not being addressed but insisted the district takes such matters seriously.
Gagner pointed to the district’s Bullying Prohibition Policy (Policy 514), which outlines procedures for investigating and addressing reports of bullying.
Gagner’s written response did not directly address why the students continued to have contact, Kobinski’s daughter’s reported absence from school or whether Minnesota’s new juvenile justice law has affected the district’s handling of violent student behavior.
“Above all, we care deeply about our students and are committed to maintaining a safe, supportive learning environment where every child feels respected, valued, and secure,” Gagner said.
Jenna Gloeb
Jenna Gloeb is an Edward R. Murrow Award-winning journalist, media producer, public speaker, and screenwriter. Most recently, she worked as a reporter and on-air host for CCX Media. Jenna is a Minnesota native and resides in the Twin Cities with her husband, son, daughter, and two dogs.
