A Smithfield parent described a Sept. 9 incident outside Smithfield High School in which, she said, a fellow student and that student’s parent assaulted her two children and that school staff did not follow procedures required by the student’s individualized education program (IEP).

The parent, Ellen Johnson, told the Isle of Wight County School Board she was shown video of the incident and said, “All of this could have been and should have been avoided if his the student's IUP that is set in place was not was was handled correctly.” She said her children were suspended 10 days, reduced to eight on appeal, and that the family has since sought a protective order.

Why it matters: Johnson said the alleged failure to implement the IEP placed other students and staff at risk and left her family feeling unsafe at school. The board indicated it would follow up with the superintendent and with school administration because the complaint involves individual students and discipline.

Details from the meeting: Johnson described a chain of events she says began with an inside-class altercation that staff did not resolve by moving the student to a separate area called for in the IEP. She said the situation escalated at student dismissal, when the other student followed her son into the middle-school parking area and a parent of that student intervened physically. “The mother then punched my son in the face,” Johnson said. She told the board it took four days for the school to press charges against the parent and said her family has experienced ongoing retaliation and hostile comments from school staff and students since the incident.

Board response and next steps: Chair Marsh thanked the parents for coming and said, “Due to the nature of the subject we'll talk to the superintendent. The Board will address it appropriately.” The board did not discuss specifics of the investigation in open session. Because the matter involves individual students, the board indicated school officials would respond through the superintendent and through appropriate closed-session procedures if needed.

Clarifying details: Johnson said the two children were suspended (initially 10 days, later reduced to eight on appeal), that one involved student uses an IEP specifying removal from class following an altercation, and that the family has since obtained a protective order. The parent asked the board why the student with an IEP “was not removed from that class” earlier in the day.

Context: The speaker raised both operational (how the IEP requirement was implemented) and disciplinary (suspension and criminal-reporting) questions. Board members said they would confer with superintendent staff about the complaint and next steps in handling both the IEP compliance questions and the disciplinary record.