(CNN) 鈥� The father of a Minnesota transgender high school student who听says she听was beaten in school said Thursday he wants the students听who听beat or harassed听his daughter听to face criminal charges.
Mark Walztoni tells CNN his 17-year-old daughter Cobalt Sovereign, a junior at Hopkins High School in Minnetonka, was in the school bathroom last听Thursday听when听a student started calling her听transphobic slurs. While she was leaving the bathroom, Walztoni says his daughter听said听she was surrounded by听that student and two others, who began following Sovereign down the hall, and when she turned around to ask them to stop, she was听punched in the mouth.
During the attack, according to Walztoni, Sovereign鈥檚 jaw was broken in two places. She had a compound fracture and lost teeth, leading to reconstructive surgery. Walztoni says the students听responsible听should face criminal charges.
鈥淭here has to be repercussions for their actions. And if they are not charged for some reason, which is our fear, then that is just going to further escalate their behavior because when you get away with stuff, you continue to do stuff,鈥� he said. 鈥淭here needs to be some kind of punishment and there needs to be some serious discussion as to whether those kids should be able to come back to the same school.鈥�
He also says听he听was notified about the incident from a social worker at the school and was told by school officials to notify the police, adding he was displeased the incident 鈥渨asn鈥檛 treated as an emergency.鈥�
Walztoni also tells CNN he is unsure if his daughter will be safe going back to school in the fall and wants to see changes.
鈥淚t鈥檚 unacceptable. The whole transphobia and homophobia thing is, in my opinion, so 20th century, or it should be a thing of the past. And it鈥檚 clear that the climate is getting worse in this regard,鈥� he told CNN鈥檚 Kaitlan Collins on 鈥淭he Source.鈥� 鈥淲e have a tremendous amount of community support here and Cobalt feeling very loved but it鈥檚 you know it鈥檚 the kids that are there today aren鈥檛 safe.鈥�
Sovereign tells CNN she has never met or seen the students who attacked and harassed her prior to the incident. She said she has faced harassment in the past but 鈥渘othing even close to this extent鈥�. Sovereign also said using the restroom as someone who identifies as non-binary has always been an issue for her.
鈥淚 try to use any general neutral or family restroom options if they鈥檙e available but when I鈥檓 not given that option I 鈥� use the men鈥檚 restroom because it鈥檚 what makes everybody around me the least amount of uncomfortable and making other people uncomfortable is something that I tried not to do. It鈥檚 from one of my worst fears,鈥� Sovereign told Collins.
The Minnetonka Police Department said in a statement to CNN听it is investigating an听attack听that day at Hopkins High School as 鈥渁 possible hate听crime,鈥� but said 鈥渄etails remain limited as the case was reported to police after school had ended for the day.鈥澨鼿opkins High School听said it is investigating 鈥渁n act of violence鈥澨齮hat 鈥渋nvolved a student who identifies as part of the LGBTQ+ community.鈥�
鈥淲e will address any issues that compromise the safety and inclusivity of our school environment,鈥� the school told CNN in a statement. 鈥淲e support and stand by any group that is marginalized, including our LGBTQ+ scholars and staff.鈥�
Minnetonka Police Chief Scott Boerboom tells CNN Sovereign鈥檚 mother reported the incident to the police department听the day it happened听and he was not made aware of it until the following Monday.
Boerboom says he would have preferred the school notify the police as soon as the incident occurred.
鈥淲e would arrive at the school, we would meet with the victim, Cobalt, we would talk to the suspects, identify the suspects, get their side of the story, talk to the victim. And then we are required to notify parents at that time,鈥� he said. 鈥淏y having us contacted at the onset, we can assess it as first responders and we have access to EMS or medical services.鈥�
Boerboom also says a video of the assault exists, and he has seen it. He says his department filed a subpoena for the video from the school, in line with policy. In the video, he says, one boy is seen assaulting Sovereign in the hallway. There were two other boys nearby, Boerboom says, who were not involved in the physical assault.
The听attack comes amid a rise in听legislation听and as advocates say LGBTQ students have faced an uptick in threats and violence. It also comes nearly four months after the听, a nonbinary听10th grader in Oklahoma who told听police about being beaten to the point of blacking out during a confrontation in the school bathroom.听
Melanie Willingham-Jaggers, executive director of GLSEN, a non-profit听group working to end intolerance and homophobia in听K-12听schools, said the听attack is 鈥渁 heartbreaking reminder of the violence and discrimination that trans youth face daily.鈥�
鈥淕LSEN听stands in solidarity with Cobalt and their family, and we call on their school officials to take immediate, concrete steps to ensure the safety and dignity of all students,鈥� Willingham-Jaggers told CNN in a statement. 鈥淗ate has no place in our schools, and it鈥檚 our collective responsibility to create systems where every student can thrive without fear.鈥�
Minnesota state Rep. Leigh Finke, a Democrat and the first听out听transgender lawmaker in the state鈥檚 legislature, condemned the school and police听for their听responses听to the incident. Finke said violence听against transgender youth like Benedict and Sovereign will 鈥渃ontinue unabated until accountability and responsibility is accepted.鈥�
鈥淭he response of Hopkins High School and the Minnetonka Police so far sends the same transphobic message to听(鈥�)听the world: do as you will and if no one decides to take it public, you鈥檒l get away with it. Is that the message that we want to send?鈥� Finke said in a statement.
鈥淲e want to see Hopkins High School and Minnetonka Police, and every school and police department in the future to do what is right and take immediate action, not because people are looking, but because transgender folks everywhere are entitled to live a life free of fear, and violence,鈥� Finke added.
CNN鈥檚 Andy Rose contributed to this report.
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