Parent says child injured when tree fell at Hilltop Elementary; calls for better district communication

At the May 14 Canfield Local Schools board meeting, parent Heather Margiotta described a March 14 incident at Hilltop Elementary in which she said a rotted tree fell onto children playing on playground ropes and injured her son.

"My son was covered in blood and crying out to me with sheer look of pure fear across his face," Margiotta said. She told the board her son suffered a severely bruised arm, a sprained ankle and a broken top of his foot and has since had panic attacks. Margiotta said she contacted Principal Flood on March 24 to express concerns about both the physical injuries and the district’s emotional‑support and communication response.

Margiotta also said a local news outlet told her that when the outlet contacted the superintendent, he said he was not aware of parent concerns; Margiotta said, "So consider this my phone call." She urged the board to improve communication and accountability and said she will withhold votes for current board members "until proven otherwise." She closed by praising teachers and school staff who cared for children that day.

The board responded by thanking the staff for their actions during the incident. The meeting facilitator said, "I'm glad that the teachers and this nurse were able to address everything that needed to be done," and noted the board would continue to evaluate communication to try to prevent similar problems.

No formal investigation or corrective action was announced during the meeting; the parent’s concerns remain on the record and were acknowledged by board members.