LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX News) — A Fayette County mother who described the day her son escaped his elementary school and reached a nearby highway as the worst day of her life has reached a settlement with the school district.
Fayette County Public Schools paid $300,000 to settle a lawsuit filed by Leslie Weston, whose 7-year-old son slipped out of Meadowthorpe Elementary School on Nov. 17, 2025, and made his way to New Circle Road before an animal control team rescued him. Documents obtained by LEX News through an open records request confirmed the settlement amount.
Weston's son is on the autism spectrum and is mostly non-verbal.
"My mind just went straight for like the worst, you know, because this is my biggest fear," Weston told LEX News during in interview in March 2026.
Of the $300,000 settlement, $200,000 was allocated to Weston and her attorneys. The remaining $100,000 was used to establish a structured settlement annuity for her son's future.
A personnel investigation report also sheds additional light on what happened inside Meadowthorpe the day the boy crawled out of a window without staff noticing.
According to the report, video footage shows the boy crawling out of the window headfirst at 12:33 p.m. At 12:51 p.m., footage shows him running to the back of the upper parking lot near the fence line, the last time he appears on the school's surveillance system. At 12:52 p.m., a staff member is seen on video appearing to search for him.
Despite that, the report shows the employee did not notify the school resource officer about the missing student until 1:14 p.m., approximately 41 minutes after the boy left the building.
The school resource officer said in the same report that if staff had informed the front office right away when they realized the child was missing, the intercom system could have alerted the entire school and he could have reviewed video footage more quickly.
"I was shocked to learn a lot of the things, after hearing more and more details. I was shocked and shocked that there weren't better protocols in place for this," Weston said.
Throughout the settlement agreement, the Fayette County Board of Education repeatedly denied any wrongdoing in connection with the incident. However, records show FCPS later chose not to renew the contracts of several Meadowthorpe Elementary employees.
District records show the Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services substantiated findings involving neglect of a minor. Those records also show the employees were advised of their appeal rights, and at least some challenged the findings.
In August, LEX News learned three paraeducators also filed a lawsuit against FCPS in connection with the incident. They claim, in part, that they warned the school hours prior about the exact staffing failure they say allowed the child to escape.
