A 11 years old boy at Bedford Middle School in Bedford, Virginia was suspended and charged for bringing a leaf to school thought to be from a marijuana plant.
This incident happened in September when the boy who was studying as a sixth-grader in the gifted-and-talented program at school, brought a leaf and started bragging other students about it as marijuana. The other students tipped the Bedford Middle School administrators about the boy's huge claims. After the tip-off an assistant principal investigated and searched the boy's backpack where he found a leaf and a lighter inside. The school authorities thinking the leaf to be marijuana suspended the boy and filed charged of possession of marijuana in a juvenile court. The leaf in the boy's bag was tested three times for marijuana and the results were negative.
The boy's parents, Bruce and Linda Bays, both school teachers, claimed that the leaf inside their son's backpack was planted by someone else as a prank. The boy also maintained the same. The parents were also denied the opportunity of seeing the leaf in question. When requested, the Bedford County Sheriff's deputy said that the leaf was in evidence.
After being suspended from school the boy went into depression and started suffering from panic attacks. The boy's parents said that he feared his life is over, he will be able to go to college and he will never get a job.
The charges against the boy were dropped after the test reports were confirmed negative, but his suspension was upheld. He was allowed to return to school only after the boy's doctor called and informed the school how their behavior has affected his health and mental stability. The boy is kept on probation till September and will be checked for drugs daily.
Mr. and Mrs. Bays have filed a case in federal court against the school in order to clear their son's name.
