On Wednesday morning, 15 year old Josie Ratley kissed her mom goodbye and left for school. She spent the day at Deerfield Beach Middle School where she attends the 8th grade. The school bell rang at 2:40pm and JoJo went to the area on school grounds where she was to get on her school bus to go home. She never made it home.

Instead, tonight she is a patient at Broward General Medical Center in the PICU, in an induced coma; part of her skull has been removed to allow the swelling on her brain to go down and she is black and blue all over her body from the attack that took place Wednesday on school grounds, allegedly at the hands and feet of Wayne Treacy.

JoJo's mom is numb. She has not slept in the past 48 hours and no words can express the emotional trauma she and her family are going through right now. The mother told me, “My baby should be home with me right now.” “Instead she is fighting for her life in a hospital bed.” Josie is a sweet and loving girl who has an amazing talent for art.

Josie's family's message to the community is that, if you are home tonight watching this at your dinner table with your own family, that you do two things. Please say a prayer for Josie. And please have an age appropriate discussion with your children about what happened to Josie. Speak to your children tonight. Communicate with them.