Suspended For Smelling Like Weed!

This story hits close to home because my son attends this school. At least for a few more weeks. Then he graduates. I could say that this story surprises me. But the fact is, it doesn't. To say that the staff at this school has been less than helpful in our interactions with them would be a severe understatement. The past four years has been a constant battle at every turn because of the negativity and indifference of the staff. But we pressed an persevered, and now we're counting down the days. I imagine the school stall is also. Anticipating the fact that they will never see Mr. or Mrs. Brown again.

Officials in Wake County, North Carolina have a lot of people scratching their heads.

They suspended 15-year-old Jakayla Johnson for possession of marijuana based solely on their opinion that her hands smelled like weed.

Jakayla says that a school resource officer smelled marijuana smoke coming from a classroom at Garner Magnet High School, and singled her out as the suspect from among a group of about 30 other students. A search of Jakayla, a sophomore, yielded no evidence of the drug. Nevertheless, school officials decided to give her a five-day suspension because her fingers supposedly smelled of cannabis.........

A Wake County School document that explained the reason for the suspension: “… for her hands to smell so pungently of marijuana she would have to have possessed it in her hands at some recent point in time.” 

This is supposition. Suspicion based on fact with absolutely no concrete evidence.

Jakayla’s mother, Tameka Johnson, couldn’t believe it. “I said not my child. You have the wrong child, because I know my child."

Johnson took Jakayla for lab work to prove her innocence. And indeed, the teenager tested negative. But school officials disregarded the test results and upheld Jakayla’s suspension. The mother is now concerned that this stain on Jakayla’s record will continue to follow her.

Of course, Wake County schools would not respond to questions about the case because of student privacy.

Johnson must now appeal to the school board to clear her daughter’s name, and insure that this erroneous suspension will not ruin her future.

PR