October 10, 2012
Some Students at Pekin Community High School went on the Today Show Yesterday to talk about their recent suspension for taking "energy tablets."
Eric McMichael, Bradley Malcom and two other students were supspended for taking unlabled white tablets. School officials the sent the pills off for testing.
"My worst fear was that this was something actually bad – like pot or meth or coke,” McMichael's told Matt Lauer. “Any of the above.”
When the test came back and showed they were just caffine pills, the school still upheld their suspensions.
After they told me it was a mint and that he would continue on with his two-day suspension and he was not allowed to go to homecoming, I was floored,” Bradley's mom Marcie told TODAY’s Matt Lauer. “You know, it’s a mint. These kids bring coffee to school.”
Here is the schools stance on the controversy:
"Pekin Community High School approaches the consumption of mood-altering substances very seriously given both the health risks at issue and a mission to keep both illegal and legal drugs and substances out of school,” superintendent Paula Davis wrote. “The school has adopted both policies and student handbook provisions which prohibit possession, distribution, and consumption of such substances at school.”
Jason McMichael wants his son's name cleared because he fears it will effect his future.
I’m wanting the records cleared,” McMichael told Lauer. “This is going to affect them for the rest of their lives. It will be on their high school transcripts. This could affect college, future jobs. Their reputations are down the tubes, so I want this wiped off their records.”
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