Monroe Dispatch - No Struggle, No Progress

A local Black high school student is experiencing difficult times after one wrong decision has led her to miss the last part of her Senior year of high school. Last Fall, an area teen was expelled from West Monroe High School after a search revealed remnants of drugs were found in her bag. The teenager detailed the expulsion came after a trip to the school nurse's office. She admitted to smoking marijuana that morning before school with friends but asserted they did not smoke it on their high school's campus. She was sick while at school and felt symptoms of what she thought at the time could be COVID, so she asked for permission to see the school's nurse practitioner. When she arrived at the school nurse's office, she alleged that the nurse called the school resource officer, who then searched her backpack. The nurse told the officer that she suspected the teen may have smoked weed because she smelled it on her and in her bag. The officer's search revealed the end of a dubbie. She was taken to the principal's office shortly after and expelled from the high school. School administration claimed they have a no-tolerance policy regarding drugs on campus. The story takes a twist, however, as it is alleged a White male classmate was faced with a similar situation only to have a different fate. The student alleges she has proof that a White classmate not only brought drugs to the high school but also took some and distributed it to friends while on campus at the end of his junior year of high school last year. A student who witnessed the incident with the White student shared details with the school's leadership in support of the Black student but was allegedly told to stay out of it by school administrators. It is alleged that school administrators found out about the incident and worked out a deal with the student's parents in which he would attend rehab for two months and then return to school. As it stands now, she is attending the Ouachita Parish alternative school. She originally petitioned the parish school board but was told the principal has the final say on school expulsions. The concerned mom and her daughter only want what was allowed for the other student - a second chance, including her the opportunity to graduate from her high school and enjoy the rest of her senior class experiences. She is now working one more time to meet with school board leaders for reconsideration or, at the least, to be allowed to finish the last few months of her final year of high school at another high school within the parish school district. She knows she made a mistake but feels those in power are trying to define her by her one mistake. She has worked hard to keep her grades up and looks forward to attending college to study psychology and eventually become a child psychologist to help teens navigate life while coming of age.