Emily Diaz is now ready to speak for herself. Her son, a middle schooler from Odessa Shannon Middle School, Silver Spring, Maryland, was struck in the head by a metal piece thrown by another student during gym class on October 22nd, 2025. His skull was fractured openly, and pieces of bone went into his brain. Lenny was taken to the pediatric ICU, with doctors placing him on a breathing tube.
He is still recovering. Emily has concerns about his walking, talking, and memory for the rest of his life. The principal sent the email, which decided to say just “a metal object” and said that the school would be helping the family with that sort of soft wording made Emily just infuriated once she saw the real medical reports. What hurts her the most in this case is that it took so long. Fire and rescue came fast, but Montgomery County Police did not get there until around five that evening, several hours later.
Lenny himself called his mom before any adult from school reached out to her. It took a further eleven minutes for Principal Natasha Booms to call her after Lenny himself did. The official school safety report was filed only on October 29, a full week after the injury was incurred. According to the law of the state, that has to be written within twenty-four hours.
Emily also learned that the girl who threw the metal object is already going back to class like nothing happened. “She almost killed my child, and the school did nothing,” Emily says. I have been following this story since Day 1. When I read that a child had to call his own mother with a cracked skull before the school bothered to pick up the phone, it made me feel sick.
I have kids in public school, too. It could’ve been my son. A GoFundMe for Lenny has now surpassed thirty thousand dollars. Donations continue to come in because the stories are heartbreaking. Now, Emily is all out encouraging every Montgomery County parent who has ever faced bullying or violence at school to step forward. She would like Principal Booms and any staff who mishandled the case to be removed.
She says MCPS has to do better. Our children go to school to learn, not to take back brain injuries. All of her posts end with the following: “I just need justice for my Lenny.” He is still fighting. She is still fighting louder. You may also be interested in: He Left the Basketball Court and Never Came Home: The 30 Year Disappearance of Sixteen Year Old Brian Kelvin
