District pays $80,000 in student wrongful death settlement

A Howard County school district will pay $80,000 to settle claims in a lawsuit over the death of a former student who was allegedly bullied.

The Glasgow School District released the terms of the settlement with Angela Suttner on Wednesday after a school board meeting. Suttner’s son, Kenneth, killed himself in 2016. Family members say Kenneth Suttner had been subjected to repeated bullying at school and work, which influenced his actions.

The former manager at the Dairy Queen where he worked in Fayette pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor assault charge last month and was put on probation and house arrest. A special prosecutor initially charged the manager, Harley Branham, with manslaughter after a coroner’s inquest into Suttner’s death.

The district denied any wrongdoing in the settlement.

The district in a written statement after the settlement was finalized earlier this month said the staff and community “remain saddened by the death of our student and extend heartfelt sympathy to all those affected by this tragedy.”

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