Hammond mother says daughter missed graduation after unknowingly taking edible

Indiana girl barred from graduation after taking edible she thought was candy

An Indiana mother said she is heartbroken after her daughter was not allowed to walk the stage for graduation after consuming an edible, which she believed was candy, from another student.

HAMMOND, Ind. - A Hammond mother says her daughter has been barred from participating in her eighth-grade graduation ceremony following a classroom incident involving what she says was an edible unknowingly consumed at school.

The family says they have already received the student’s diploma after being told not to attend Thursday’s graduation ceremony at Charles N. Scott Middle School.

According to the student’s mother, Claudia Johnson, school officials first called on Tuesday—her daughter’s birthday—saying the teen wasn’t feeling well. Johnson says she was contacted again roughly 25 minutes later and informed that her daughter had been given an edible by another student.

Johnson says that when she arrived at the school, it was clear her daughter was impaired. She also noted concern because the teen has a medical history of seizures.

The family says another student later informed school staff that a classmate had allegedly given the 14-year-old an edible while telling her it was candy.

According to Johnson, school officials told her that the student believed to be the "ringleader," also an eighth grader, was expelled.

What they're saying:

However, the family says their daughter—an honor roll student—has also been barred from participating in graduation ceremonies. They say she is now heartbroken over missing what they describe as a once-in-a-lifetime milestone.

"She’s never taken drugs before, she's only 14-years-old and this has never happened," Claudia Johnson, the eighth grader's mom, said. "She was drowsy, she was slurring and she was high. I’ve never seen anything like it."

The other side:

FOX Chicago has reached out to Charles N. Scott Middle School and the school district for comment. As of now, officials have not responded.