Reminds me of my school days at the start. Add insult to injury, the person defending themselves gets the severe punishment, the instigator gets off with a slap on the hand if that much.
You said it. Had a similar situation as in the article happen to me in 3rd grade. Got pushed around, fought back. Kid was no stranger to the administrators, yet I had a clean record.
We both got the same sentence...1 week of detention. They put us in the same room, and as I recall he didn’t even show up for it on the last day, but there was apparently no repercussion for that.
2 weeks after our punishment was over, he knocked a girl’s front teeth out during recess. A GIRL.
They sent him packing to alternative school after that one.