Middle school children can be mean. Blame it on surging hormones or an overwhelming desire just to fit in. Twelve-to14-year-old kids are also at risk for making stupid decisions. Take the incident last week at A.E. Wright Middle School as an example.

At least four students at the Calabasas campus were assaulted by classmates before school began on Fri., Nov. 20, reportedly because the victims had red hair.

According to a report released by Lost Hills Sheriff’s Station, the attack on red-haired children may have been motivated by the television show “South Park” and a message posted on the social networking Internet site Facebook that declared last Friday to be “kick a ginger day.”

The word ginger has been used in the cartoon show as a euphemism for people with red hair, fair skin and freckles.

“The Facebook website appears to have been inspired by a South Park episode in which the character Cartman describes people with red hair as ‘evil’ and ‘soulless,’” the sheriff’s report said.

Dozens of children left messages on the Facebook page claiming to have carried out the South Park-inspired attacks.

Initially, detectives believed that a group of seventh- and eighth-grade boys at the school attacked only one student, a 12year-old boy, but at least three other victims later came forward with similar stories, said Lt. Scott Chew from Lost Hills.

The first victim, who is a seventh-grader, said he was punched and kicked in two separate incidents by classmates at 8:30 a.m. last Friday. The parents of the boy contacted deputies at Lost Hills and requested an investigation. The boy’s name was not released because he’s a juvenile.

The Lost Hills Juvenile Intervention Team is conducting the investigation. Chew said once the inquiry has been completed the case will be turned over to the Los Angeles County District Attorney, who will determine whether charges against the students will be filed.

The sheriff’s report classified the crime as an assault with a deadly weapon because the boy was kicked by children’s shoes. Some reports say that up to 14 students could be charged with the crime.

“We take this very seriously,” said Donald Zimring, Las Virgenes Unified School District superintendent.

“This is totally out of character for this school and these children,” Zimring said. “This school prides itself on celebrating diversity. What began as a joke among friends apparently got out of hand.”

Zimring said he expects other students will be identified for disciplinary action once they return from their weeklong Thanksgiving vacation. None of the victims had injuries requiring hospitalization.