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Parent urges board to review suspension and refund after student was attacked at Fairview Middle School
Summary
A Fairview Middle School parent said her son was struck without provocation, defended himself, was suspended three days, and requested a full refund of a field-trip fee and a district review of policies that penalize students who defend themselves.
Kimmy Johnson, a parent of an eighth-grade student at Fairview Middle School, told the Leon County School Board on May 13 that her son was attacked by another student on April 10, that her son was not the aggressor, and that school investigators confirmed he had no prior disciplinary history. Johnson said the district suspended her son for three days and removed him from an eighth-grade field trip; she said the family received a partial refund of $103 of a $265 trip fee.
"My son instinctively defended himself. The school's own investigation confirmed that my son was not the aggressor," Johnson told the board. She said she met with school administrators, supported mediation, submitted a formal letter to the district on April 22, followed up with the superintendent's office on April 29 and left a message for a board member on May 6 but received no response.
Johnson asked the board to review her son's case, issue a full refund of the trip fee, reevaluate policies that penalize students for defending themselves and ensure parents' concerns receive timely responses from district staff. "No parent should have to fight this hard to be seen, heard, and valued," she said.
Two other speakers from the same household — Isabella Orfern Leedy, a student, and Patricia Leedy, a parent — also addressed student safety and communication and welcomed superintendent-led follow-up conversations with students at the school the next day. The superintendent said he would visit the school during lunch and invited students to join him for a conversation; staff agreed to coordinate the meeting location and timing.
The board did not take immediate formal action on the specific disciplinary appeal during the public comment period; Johnson asked that the board review the case and consider refunding the family the remaining trip cost.
