TEXAS.–Chaz Seale, a 17-year-old from Livingston Texas, was suspended from his highschool after notifying his teacher that he accidentally brought a can of beer to school. The student says he mistakenly grabbed the can for his lunch when he intended to grab a soda.
On Wednesday, February 26, 2014, the student’s mother, Christi Seale, took to the nationally syndicated Michael Berry radio show to plead her son’s case.
According to the mother, Chaz packs his own lunch when he goes to school. She said he puts a Dr. Pepper and a sandwich in a lunch bag and he tosses it in his backpack.
On February 10th, while sitting in his 3rd period class, Chaz realized he had made a mistake, said the mother. In his rush to get to school, he reached into the refrigerator in his parent’s house and accidentally grabbed a can of Coors Light instead of grabbing his usual Dr. Pepper.
Instead of trying to cover up his mistake, he decided he wanted to take the safe route, so he immediately brought the beer can to the attention of his teacher. She was surprised but somewhat understanding of Chaz’s situation, so instead of immediately punishing him she took the beer can from him and put it in the trash.
The mother explained that it was around this time that some of Chaz’s classmates became aware of what was going on.
According to the mother, one of the other students said, “We’re gonna go get that beer out of the trash.” The mother said the student was possibly just joking, but the teacher did not want to take a chance so she removed the beer from the trash and placed it in her desk.
Some of the students continued to heckle the teacher, saying “We’re gonna go tell on you for having a beer in your desk.”
The mother felt that the teacher didn’t want to risk losing her job for violating school policy, so she was forced to alert the principal.
The mother told Berry that she was surprised to get the call because Chaz has never been in trouble with the principal before.
The principal also called the campus police down to the office. Chaz was sent home and told that he may face criminal charges.
Three days later, the mother met with the principal, who informed her that her son would be suspended for 60 school days and sent to an alternative school for children with behavioral problems.
Ken Webster Jr. is the executive producer of Walton & Johnson and a contributing producer to The Michael Berry Show. Follow him on Twitter @ProducerKen