Parents plan to challenge Mustang School drug suspension

The parents of a middle school student suspended for having birth control pills in her purse, say they will fight back. <br/><br/>It happened in Mustang, in central Oklahoma, during a random search by

Tuesday, December 7th 2004, 6:16 am

By: News On 6

The parents of a middle school student suspended for having birth control pills in her purse, say they will fight back.

It happened in Mustang, in central Oklahoma, during a random search by a drug sniffing dog. Chloe Smith says she takes birth control pills for medical reasons. She forgot to take them out of her purse before school.

The district has a no tolerance policy, and suspended her for the rest of the year. Her stepfather and mother insist the school district is going too far.

Stepfather Max Barber: "How can you punish her for something she's supposed to have, that's not against any law other than their policy?"

The school offered to suspend Chloe for 10 days if she went through drug counseling, but the family refused.

They've filed an appeal with the school district and contacted the American Civil Liberties Union.