In the end, the proof was on the tape, said a school administrator dealing with a student's claims Latino students attacked her because she made a sign protesting illegal immigration.

Athens Superintendent Dr. Fred Hayes says middle school eighth-grader Melanie Bowers, 13, is seen on a surveillance video inflicting scratches on herself.

The teen now finds herself in trouble. School officials say they are planning to seek charges against her for making a false statement to police. That case will be filed with the Henderson County County Attorney’s Office, District Police Chief Paul Redic said.

Filing a false report to police is a Class B misdemeanor. However, the punishment for Bowers could be handled differently since she is a minor.

School officials say they are looking at punishing the girl at school, as well. Two students who corroborated Bowers’ falsified story may also face consequences.

“We are diligent in our investigations, and what we want is for the truth to come out,” said Hayes, who admitted school officials had questions about the veracity of the story from the beginning. “We are glad the truth came out.

“We did question the extent of her allegation,” the school administrator said, “because each time she told the story it seemed to get bigger and bigger.”

The jaw-dropping flip-flop came along with a copy of a statement obtained through an open records request by the Athens Review containing a handwritten voluntary statement signed by the girl’s parents: