ABOVE: Screenshots of Leo Hoffman’s attack May 28 via Twitter.
Largo, Fla. | Pinellas County School officials are vowing reform after a nonbinary student at Seminole Middle School was attacked late last month for displaying a Pride flag.
Leo Hoffman, 12, was targeted May 28 during a picnic marking the end of the school year, just ahead of Memorial Day weekend. Their father Benjamin Hoffman publicly detailed the incident on June 1.
“For those of you who don’t know, my youngest child identifies as non-binary and omnisexual,” Hoffman wrote. “They prefer to be called Leo. Well, this past Friday at school (Seminole Middle School, located in Largo, FL) during a sixth-grade picnic, Leo was attacked by a group of boys for displaying a rainbow pride flag.
“One boy first snatched the flag and threw it in the trash,” he continued. “Leo retrieved the flag and decided to pin it around their neck like a cape. The same boy grabbed it again and Leo refused to let go. Other boys joined in and pulled Leo to the ground where they were dragged across the pavement, kicked and had liquids poured on them.”
Hoffman included video of the incident, which was also tweeted by one of Leo’s siblings. The 45-second clip has been viewed more than 220,000 times on Twitter alone in the weeks since.
“Most alarming is not just the attack itself, but notice as you watch the video the complete lack of adult intervention,” Hoffman also shared. He noted that after contacting local authorities, he was advised the school would be handling punishment.
“I want justice for my child, no child should be afraid at school,” he asserted. “That’s why I am sharing this video.”
Read more and watch the videos below:
https://twitter.com/Mermaid_Lover_/status/1399769649538084871
The incident drew international attention. Locally, U.S. Rep. Charlie Crist, an LGBTQ ally who is also running for governor, released a statement advising his office had contacted the school.
“I hope the students in question will be able to learn from this and do better in future,” Crist said. He was assured disciplinary action was being taken.
Pinellas County Schools Public Information Officer Isabel Mascareñas also confirmed officials had taken action. She noted that Dr. Michael Moss, the school’s principal, utilized the holiday weekend to investigate the incident as multiple students were directly involved.
“The principal has kept in regular contact with the family of the student who was holding the flag,” she tells Watermark, “offering support to their child to see how the school can support them. He also directed his teachers to meet with their students to review and reinforce the school’s values: respect, tolerance, cooperation and diversity.”
A group of students were subsequently suspended from the school, and an unconfirmed number were reassigned to alternative schools. While the current school year ended June 9, the students will not return to Seminole Middle next year.
“Pinellas County Schools does not – does not – tolerate this behavior,” Mascareñas stresses. “The district welcomes everyone. We teach our students to accept and respect others; this is a district that values diversity and prioritizes inclusion.”
Hoffman also reflected on the school taking action via social media.
“I want to thank everyone for the tremendous outpouring of support for Leo,” he shared. He noted that Moss personally confirmed the disciplinary measures and that his family is seeking a criminal investigation through the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office, which has been unable to comment on the matter.
Mascareñas says that in the coming year, Seminole Middle will adopt and implement Olweus, a bullying prevention program designed for elementary, middle and junior high school students. It touts decades of implementation and according to the program’s website, seeks to reduce existing bullying, prevent the development of new bullying and achieve better peer relations at school.
Officials will also use restorative practices “to help the students who were suspended understand the seriousness of what they did,” Mascareñas adds. They hope to show them “how and why to be more accepting and understanding of others.”
Seminole Middle will also address reform over the summer. Mascareñas promises that the principal will be “inviting members of the LGBTQ community to help his staff better address the needs of students and support them and develop a plan for the new school year.”
