At Bedford Middle School, an 11-year-old boy was suspended for being caught in possession of a leaf that was visually the same as a marijuana leaf. However, when tested multiple times, it tested negative for marijuana. The boy was suspended for 364 days after they found that he was in possession of the leaf. Melvin Williams told the Roanoke Times, “Essentially they kicked him out of school for something they couldn’t prove he did”. According to the school’s vice principal, the boy had been showing off the leaf on the bus on the way to school. The boy allegedly told the mother that he had been seen in the bathroom with the leaf and lighter. The principal then said that the boy was seen in a classroom with those items, but also had been bragging about his family growing marijuana in their backyard. The boy supposedly had no idea where the leaf that they found on him came from, and his mother has yet to see the leaf. He has been out of school for six months, without having had the evidence (the leaf) shown to his mother.
Source: Scott Kaufman, “11 year old suspended for a year possessing a ‘leaf’ that repeatedly tested negative for pot”, Raw Story, March 15, 2015, http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2015/03/11-year-old-suspended-for-a-year-for-possessing-a-leaf-that-repeatedly-tested-negative-for-pot/.
Student Researcher: Brenda Mayorga (Indian River State College)
Faculty Evaluator: Elliot D. Cohen (Indian River State College)