An 11-year-old Virginia middle-school student was arrested suspended from school for a year after an assistant principal found what was thought to be a marijuana leaf in his backpack. The school official, however, was mistaken.
As reported by The Huffington Post and The Roanoke Times, the leaf in question "was definitely not marijuana" and tested negative three times. Officers dropped the charges against the boy, but he was not allowed back at his middle school. He is now attending "an alternative education program for troubled students" and taking classes at home, according to The Huffington Post story.
The parents of the unidentified boy say their son "has become withdrawn and now suffers from panic attacks, depression" and is concerned about his academic future, according to The Huffington Post story. The family has filed a federal lawsuit against the school district and the county's sheriff's office, "alleging violations of (the boy's) right to due process and malicious prosecution."
Read more at The Huffington Post and The Roanoke Times.
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