Girl Charged With Battery After Dodge Ball Game

**NotSoSilentBob** · February 22nd, 2006, 03:04 PM

Girl Charged With Battery After Dodge Ball Game

POSTED: 6:08 pm PST February 15, 2006
UPDATED: 7:06 pm PST February 15, 2006

ALTA LOMA, Calif. -- What started as a version of the schoolyard game of dodge ball has apparently become a legal ordeal for a 12-year-old girl and her family.

Complaints by the parents of a student injured during a game at Hermosa Elementary School prompted authorities to charge Brittney Schneiders with battery.

Five other students also accused of battery stemming from the May 8 playground game opted to take probation, but Brittney Schneiders and her parents refused.

"I don't think I did (commit a crime)," Brittney told NBC4's Mary Parks. "I thought I was just playing a dodge ball game. I never thought it would come up to this level."

For seven years, Schneiders made the honor roll and received good citizenship awards, but the teen soccer star is in a legal mess over a game of "Wall Ball."

"Wall Ball" is a game where a team throws or kicks a ball in an attempt to hit other players.

Schneiders kicked a ball that hit a boy who wore braces, giving him a fat lip.

The district attorney, probation and sheriff's departments agreed with the school that the boy was repeatedly and unnecessarily hit with the ball and they filed charges against the students.

But Brittney's father, Ray Schneiders, believes the law has gone overboard.

"We are not parents who see our princess can do no wrong," Ray Schneiders said. "It is all about power and the manic egos of those who possess and abuse it."

David Hidalgo, supervising deputy district attorney for San Bernardino County, told NBC4 that although it is illegal for his office to discuss specific cases, he notes that there is always the option of community service or a letter of apology to resolve a case.

"When parents refuse to cooperate under those circumstances and they refuse to hold a minor accountable for their criminal conduct and insist they go to court to refute the allegations, then we have no choice," Hidalgo said.

The district attorney's office also is frustrated by not being able to legally and publicly divulge all the facts in the case, Parks reported.

The case is set for trial in March.

http://www.nbc4.tv/sports/7096612/detail.html

**GCDAD** · February 22nd, 2006, 03:25 PM

I know we dont have all of the facts, but I dont blame the parents for refusing to admit the crime. When I was in school,(many years ago, lol), we had dodge ball games where you could basically get your head knocked off. There was never any talk of lawsuit or crimminal intent then. Its just the way our society is today, somebody looking for a lawsuit. If this is a school event, I think the school should be liable. Maybe they should have supervised the game a little better. Just my opinion & like I said, I'm sure we dont have all the facts.

**OAR** · February 22nd, 2006, 03:28 PM

I believe in VA that dodgeball has been taken out of the schools, to the best of my knowledge, because of reasons like this. I could be wrong though. Maybe teachers are pressured not to let students participate in this activity for fear of a lawsuit.

**Monkeyhead** · February 22nd, 2006, 03:37 PM

Just think how bad the kid with the fat lip is feeling now. It was bad enough that all the kids made fun of the fat lip. He probably gets hassled because of his parents more than likely over reacting. Way to go on parenting [img]/LDPforum/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif[/img]

**NotSoSilentBob** · February 22nd, 2006, 04:53 PM

When we played in school, I was hit in the nuts by more than one teacher. [img]/LDPforum/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/shocked.gif[/img]

**imported_mega** · February 22nd, 2006, 04:55 PM

wow, and I saw a commercial that shows the next episode of the simpsons where bart is getting pounded by dodgeballs. I bet the media will try to pin it on tv violence or something [img]/LDPforum/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif[/img]

**Lb_Balla33** · February 22nd, 2006, 05:22 PM

I believe your right OAR, at Pound they wouldnt let us play.. Maybe it was because of some of the girls would say stuff about people throwing to hard

**TheBeast** · February 22nd, 2006, 05:30 PM

Dis anyone else notice this was in california, where else would it be. This seems to be the hub for frivilous lawsuits such as this. It also sounds like a game that is not exactly like dodgeball as we know it, I see this as someone throwing or kicking a ball into a wall and hitting someone on the rebound hence the name "wall ball".

**starbuck** · February 22nd, 2006, 05:38 PM

the game in itself is fun. It is the ones that do try to hurt others that cause the problems. throwing it as hard as you can as the weakest members of the other team is just asking for things like this.

**jtw61194** · February 22nd, 2006, 05:45 PM

I'm a PE teacher and I hate dodgeball for this very reason. We play with souped-up nerf balls and bowling pins as targets. You can hit other people, but we emphasize knocking over the pins, since there are only 5 on each side. Gone are the days of the 16-year old 6th grader wailing on the 11-year olds with those huge rubber balls that also double as kickballs.