Coffee County Schools named in $4.5 million suit
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The Coffee County School System was named as one of the defendants in a complaint filed regarding disciplinary action taken against a student in the system and an alleged failure to properly accommodate said student’s disability.
Also named as defendants are the Coffee County School Board, Director of Schools Scott Hargrove, Coffee County Central High School, CCCHS Principal Paul Parsley and a defendant referred to as John/Jane Doe that represents unknown administrators, teachers or staff members that were involved in the disciplinary actions.
Danielle Wright, the plaintiff and guardian of the student referred to in the lawsuit as M.K., is seeking $2.5 million in damages from the school system and $1 million each from Hargrove and Parsley totaling $4.5 million.
Filed on Dec. 17, the complaint says that M.K. posted on social media on Sept. 15, 2025 that she was going to “kill the kids in her 3rd period class if they don’t shut up. I’m too anxious to listen to your mouth and do my work…”
The complaint claims that the post was “metaphorical, hyperbolic, and born out of emotional distress, not intent” and that M.K. never intended it as a threat and immediately knew it was inappropriate.
A threat assessment was conducted by the Coffee County Sheriff’s Department and found that the student was of no threat to students or staff.
M.K. was then placed at the Coffee County Koss Center for 50 days as a disciplinary action as a result of the post, despite the assessment by the sheriff’s department, where she later had a “medical crisis” on Oct. 20 where she became overwhelmed, lost consciousness and collapsed during the school day, according to the suit.
The document states that M.K. had a history of anxiety that she had sought counseling for and had been brought to the school system’s attention on multiple occasions.
The complaint also states that “no disability evaluation was initiated either before or after this medical event, despite federal law requiring one when disability related concerns become evident.”
The document also said a letter was sent by M.K.’s counsel on Oct. 21 to the school system’s attorney notifying the system of the episode, formally acknowledging the medical event.
The complaint alleges that no corrective measures were taken after the system received the letter and that M.K. was removed from the cheerleading squad at CCCHS as a “derivative consequence” and placed back in the same third period classroom that the school acknowledged was “disruptive and chaotic.”
Also alleged is that the defendants’ actions and omissions have contributed to M.K.’s continuing medical episodes and that their actions also “has resulted in ongoing and foreseeable physical injury, psychological trauma, and medical risk, substantially interfering with M.K.’s ability to safely access her education.”
After a disciplinary hearing (DHA) to contest the Koss placement on Sept. 26, DHA Chair Krista Cole issued a letter affirming the 50 day placement.
The complaint alleges that the letter contained a “significant” factual error in that it stated that “it is admitted that M.K. did threaten violence against her third-period class” despite the threat assessment stating otherwise.
The “false statement,” according to the complaint, was the “direct result of Defendant’s failure to consider M.K.’s disability before drawing conclusions about her conduct.”
As of publication time, no statement was given by the defendants.
