Mother of Nuriootpa High School student bashed in shocking video calls for major change

A 13-year-old boy at a SA high school is still experiencing memory loss weeks after his head was allegedly stomped on by another student.

A 13-year-old boy at a Barossa Valley high school is still experiencing memory loss weeks after his head was allegedly stomped on by another student.

In a video seen by The Advertiser, believed to have been filmed on April 9, Year 8 student at Nuriootpa High School Hendrix Mortimer is depicted being grabbed and shoved to the ground, before his head is stomped on.

A screenshot from the video taken of the incident involving 13-year-old Hendrix. Picture: Supplied.

Hendrix Mortimer, 13, and mother Cheyenne Dunn. Picture: RoyVPhotography

Hendrix’s mother, Cheyenne Dunn, 32, said she found out about the incident two days afterwards when she was sent the video while at work.

“I threw up when I watched it,” Ms Dunn, who owns a cleaning business, said.

When Hendrix came home on the day of the incident, Ms Dunn said “he thought he’d been punched or kicked” but he did not know what happened due to memory loss from his injury.

A radiology report seen by The Advertiser confirmed he suffered a head injury after he was “kicked and stomped on” and as a result suffered loss of consciousness.

Following the incident, Hendrix suffered “anterograde and retrograde memory loss and ongoing headaches”.

Hendrix Mortimer, 13, with mother Cheyenne Dunn before the incident. Picture: Supplied.

Ms Dunn said in the lead up to the incident on Hendrix, other students had “dropped him on his arse twice each during the day leading up to lunch time”.

“He couldn’t understand why anything happened,” she said.

Hendrix returned to school less than a month ago, having missed the first week of Term 2.

“All the kids were quite concerned,” Ms Dunn said.

She has called for more teachers to be employed at the school of about 1300 students as it “has too many students for the amount of staff”.

Hendrix told The Advertiser that since the incident, “nothing has changed at the school”.

“A lot of people are telling people to kill themselves,” the 13-year-old said.

“A lot of people have copped it and I feel disgusted.”

He said he feels scared while at school “sometimes” following the incident.

Hendrix Mortimer, 13, following the incident. Picture: Supplied.

As a result of the incident, Ms Dunn created a change.org petition calling for “a comprehensive review of how bullying is handled in school”.

The petition, with more than 370 signatures so far, also calls for “considering a new principal if necessary” to create change at the school.

An Education Department spokeswoman said two students had been suspended or excluded following the incident.

“The impacted students were offered wellbeing support,” the spokeswoman said.

“Several department and school leaders have spoken to the parent on multiple occasions.”

She said the Education Department had been working with Nuriootpa High School since 2023 to support Hendrix.

Education Minister Blair Boyer said he had “spoken personally with Ms Dunn and visited the school”.

“The behaviour of a small group of students at Nuriootpa High School has been completely unacceptable – that’s why disciplinary action like suspensions have been given,” Mr Boyer said.

“The department has provided the school with the extra support it needs.

“That includes introducing an additional experienced leader on-site to support the school leadership, anti-bullying seminars and training, fixing CCTV, and extra wellbeing supports.”

This latest incident comes after, in June last year, several parents, many with children who have additional needs, said their children had been verbally and physically abused while at Nuriootpa High School.

In most cases, they said, the perpetrators escaped any serious sanction for their behaviour.

The school has also engaged several anti-bullying organisations to present to staff, students and parents.

Originally published as Mother of Nuriootpa High School student bashed in shocking video calls for major change