Minnesota Mother Seeks Action After Daughter Is Attacked

Published on November 6, 2026, this account centers on two attacks reported by the mother of an 11-year-old Braham girl. Video from October 26 and 27 shows another student confronting the sixth-grader as she got off her bus. The girl was pushed, chased and punched in the face and head in one incident, and shoved down in the other. Her mother, Shannon Kobinski, says her daughter did not fight back. She took the child to a hospital, where the incident was documented as an assault, she said.

Kobinski says the harassment began last year and has included threats and other physical aggression. She says her daughter has stayed home from school out of fear of more attacks. The families live in the same apartment complex, according to the account.

Minnesota’s HF 5216, passed in 2024 and effective August 1, 2026, set the threshold for juvenile delinquency cases at age 13, up from 10. Police may investigate alleged offenses and child protection authorities may intervene, but children under 13 cannot face those proceedings. Kobinski argues the law limits consequences in her daughter’s case.

Kobinski says the school district has suspended the other student but failed to keep the girls apart, and that administrators declined to expel the student. Superintendent Kenneth Gagner said the district investigated the latest incidents and other allegations, and took appropriate disciplinary action under district policies. He said student safety is a priority.

Kobinski says she has contacted state officials and local leaders. Community members planned a November 5 demonstration outside Braham Area High School calling for stronger student protections and accountability.

Minnesota Must Protect Students Without Abandoning Young People

Published on November 6, 2026, the attacks on an 11-year-old Braham girl have put the focus on whether her school is doing enough to keep her safe. Video from October 26 and 27 shows another student pushing, chasing and punching her as she got off the bus, then shoving her down the next day. Her mother, Shannon Kobinski, says her daughter retreated rather than fighting back and has missed school because she fears another assault.

Minnesota’s HF 5216, passed in 2024 and effective August 1, 2026, bars juvenile delinquency proceedings for children under 13. Police can investigate, and child protection authorities can intervene. But the law does not erase a school’s responsibility to address reported bullying and protect students. Kobinski says the district suspended the other student but failed to keep the girls separated; Superintendent Kenneth Gagner says the district investigated and took appropriate disciplinary action under its policies.

The law’s supporters can point to the fact that it preserves investigations and child-protection intervention for young children. But the response must also take seriously the safety and education of the child who says she was repeatedly targeted. A system that leaves a student afraid to attend school is not meeting that responsibility.

Kobinski says she has contacted state and local officials. A November 5 demonstration outside Braham Area High School called for stronger student protections and accountability. The challenge is to ensure meaningful safety measures without treating children under 13 as adults in the justice system.

Minnesota’s Juvenile Law Leaves a Bullied Girl’s Family Seeking Answers

Published on November 6, 2026, an 11-year-old girl in Braham was pushed, chased and punched after stepping off her school bus on October 26, then shoved down the following day, video shows. Her mother, Shannon Kobinski, says the girl has faced harassment since last year and now misses school out of fear. She says the district’s response has not stopped the behavior.

Minnesota’s HF 5216, passed in 2024 and effective August 1, 2026, prevents juvenile delinquency proceedings against children under 13. Police may still investigate alleged offenses, and child protection authorities may intervene. But the law removes one route for formal juvenile proceedings, a limit Kobinski says matters in her daughter’s case.

The district says it investigated the latest attacks and other allegations and took appropriate disciplinary action under its policies. Superintendent Kenneth Gagner said student safety is a priority. Kobinski, however, says the other student remained at school after suspension and administrators failed to keep the girls apart. She also says her daughter has missed classes because she fears being attacked again.

This is the consequence critics see when rules designed to shield young offenders are not matched by effective protection for victims. Kobinski says she has sought help from state and local officials. A November 5 demonstration outside Braham Area High School demanded stronger safeguards and accountability.