Parent urges refund and review after son suspended following school fight

During the public-comment portion of the May 13 Leon County School Board meeting, parent Kimmy Johnson described an April 10 incident at Fairview Middle School in which, she said, another student struck her son without provocation. Johnson said the district’s investigation found her son was not the aggressor but that he was suspended three days, removed from an eighth-grade field trip, and refunded only $103 of the $265 the family paid.

Johnson told the board she had met with school administrators, supported mediation and filed a formal letter with the district on April 22, followed up with the superintendent’s office on April 29 and left a phone message for a board member on May 6, but had received no written response. She asked the board to review the disciplinary decision, issue a full refund, and reevaluate district policies that penalize students who defend themselves.

Two additional speakers at the podium, student Isabella Orfern Leedy and parent Patricia Leedy (both identified with the same address in the record), referenced ongoing safety and communication concerns at their school and welcomed Superintendent Hannah’s offer to meet students at the school the next day. Superintendent Hannah said she would visit the school at lunch the following day to speak with students and bring pizzas as part of that outreach; the meeting was to be announced by the superintendent via district channels.

No formal board action was recorded at the meeting; Johnson requested that the board review her son’s case and ensure more timely communication with parents.