The father of a Hillsboro High School student was awarded $50,000 in a lawsuit settlement after he said his daughter was injured and concussed when another student attacked her.
The attack took place on March 6, 2023, according to the lawsuit filed by Lorenzo F. Candelaria. He is listed as the parent of the now-former Hillsboro student, who is referred to by initials in the lawsuit.
The suit said another minor student, also referred to by initials, lured his daughter into the bathroom, then grabbed the girl, threw her down and proceeded to assault her while she was on the ground. According to the suit, several other students were gathered, at least one filmed the attack on a cell phone and that video was shared among other students throughout
Hillsboro High.
The suit stated that Hillsboro High staff did not intervene or assist Candelaria's daughter during or after what it called a "vicious attack," and that Candelaria took his daughter to the emergency room, where she was treated for injuries, including a concussion. The other student was criminally charged, the document showed. The attack and the sharing of the video "caused significant physical and emotional harm" to the girl, the suit stated.
The Nashville government, which represents the Metro Nashville Public Schools district, and the other student's parents, Maria Molina Paex and Beau T. Keeling, were named as defendants. There are also 20 unnamed defendants, listed as John and Jane Does 1-20. They include students who either recorded or shared cell phone video of the attack. The parents of those 20 minors are also defendants in the suit but were not named.
The Metro Nashville Public Schools board voted unanimously to approve the settlement during its regular Sept. 22 meeting. It was not immediately clear whether Candelaria will receive settlements from the other defendants in the case, which appears to still be active in Davidson County Circuit Court. His lawyers declined to comment on the case on Sept. 23.
Metro Legal Associate Director Allison Bussell said the parties in the lawsuit "global settlement" that resolve the entire case. She was not sure if the terms of the co-defendants' arrangement were confidential and directed questions to their lawyer, Steve Parman. Parman did not respond to multiple attempts to contact him from The Tennessean.
Lawsuit claims 'rampant problems' at Hillsboro High
Along with blaming the students involved and their parents, the suit accuses district and school officials of failing to protect Candelaria's daughter. It cites multiple examples of violence and student misconduct at the school, along with insufficient security in its hallways and the girls' bathroom.
"Hillsboro High has rampant problems with out-of-control student misconduct," the suit stated. "This misconduct includes what its staff has described as constant fights, sexual intercourse in the hallways, drug overdoses in the bathrooms and other serious safety issues. Much of the violence and other misconduct at Hillsboro High is known to its staff and administration, yet remains unaddressed due to the high volume of incidents and inadequate security resources."
The suit also said fights at the school were documented on an Instagram account under the name "Hillsboro Knockout Page." While the page still exists, it does not appear to have any posts. The suit accused the school of failing to address the account, despite knowing about it. The suit also referred to unnamed former staff members who described violence or misconduct among students.
"In spring of 2022, a student was seen running through the hallways of Hillsboro High with what appeared to be an assault rifle," the suit stated. "Despite knowing the identity of the student, the Hillsboro High administration took no disciplinary action against the student, and one former staff member described the response (or lack thereof) as a sign that the administration 'was just over it.'"
The suit included one count of assault and battery, three counts of negligence, one count of intentional/reckless infliction of emotional distress and one count of parental liability for the conduct of a minor. Candelaria sought $500,000 in damages, along with punitive damages from the parents of the student he said attacked his daughter, the 20 unnamed students and their parents, the suit showed. He also asked for compensation for court and litigation costs.
School district, other defendants deny most allegations
The school district, the other student and that student's mother, who said her name is actually Maria Keeling, largely denied the allegations in their responses to the complaint, court records show.
In a filing, the other student admitted the "physical confrontation" happened and to assaulting Candelaria's daughter. However, the student denied that the assault was carried out intentionally, willfully and maliciously. The student also denied a history of violent conduct or animosity toward Candelaria's daughter.
Hillsboro High parent, MNPS weigh in on safety
Anne Marie Farmer told The Tennessean her oldest child started at Hillsboro High in 2020 and graduated in 2024, and that her youngest is still a student there. After looking over the complaint filed in the lawsuit, she said it doesn't match up with her own experience with the school or what her children have told her. Farmer has been actively involved with school events, on-campus activities during the school day and the parent teacher student organization over the years.
"I've never had a concern about the safety of either of my kids that have attended Hillsboro," she said.
While Farmer acknowledged that Hillsboro, a school of around 1,200 in Nashville's Green Hills neighborhood, sometimes has issues with student behavior, she said many of the allegations in the suit don't line up with what she knows.
"This idea that Hillsboro is out of control and there's rampant violence and kids OD'ing in the bathroom ... that just doesn't mesh with reality whatsoever," Farmer said.
She also said school principal Danielle Holdren, who took over in 2024, instituted shorter lunch periods that break students into smaller groups and restricted which buildings students can access during that time. Farmer believes that has helped with student discipline and made their transition times more orderly.
The Metro Nashville Police Department has reported arrests of Hillsboro High students who brought guns to schools over the last several years. The most recent report was in September 2024, when a student tip led to the police recovering a loaded handgun in a 14-year-old student's bag, MNPD said in a news release at the time.
In a Sept. 22 email, MNPS spokesperson Sean Braisted said he did not immediately have specifics about Hillsboro High's security measures on hand. However, he said the school has the same types of safety measures listed on the district's safety and security page. Those include school resource officers, an emergency operation plan and the support of the MNPS security department. The district also rolled out weapon detection panels in the aftermath of a deadly shooting at Antioch High School in January 2025.
Rachel Wegner covers education and children's issues for The Tennessean. Got a story you think she should hear? Reach her via email at RAwegner@tennessean.com. You can also find her on X or Bluesky under the handle RachelAnnWegner.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Nashville dad sues over 'vicious' school attack, gets $50K settlement
