Amherst freshman gets restraining order, appeals to school board

ELYRIA — Freshman Mike McGannon will be back in class Monday at Amherst Marion L. Steele High School despite being expelled for a white pill he says was Tylenol.

On Thursday, county Common Pleas Court Judge Edward Zaleski granted a temporary restraining order that allows Mike, 14, to return to school while he challenges his expulsion.

“It’s a relief that my kid can go back to school, but I hope the school board is more reasonable,” said Mike’s father, also named Mike McGannon.

Amherst Superintendent Robert Boynton said he would respect Zaleski’s decision and would allow the appeals process to move forward.

Boynton expelled Mike earlier this month for 80 days, long enough to keep him out of school until October. Mike also received a 10-day suspension, which he has already served.

Boynton had offered to allow Mike to return to school in June, but only if he agreed to random drug tests and substance abuse counseling. The McGannons have refused the offer.

Mike said he was taken out of class on March 4 and searched by Principal Mike Gillam, who found the pill in Mike’s pocket. Although Mike said he insisted the pill was just a Tylenol a friend had given him for a headache, Gillam and Assistant Principal Jeanne Kornick insisted the pill was Xanax, an anti-anxiety drug.

Mike said Kornick kept him in her office until he signed a statement admitting to snorting prescription medication on school grounds and saying that he had brought Xanax to school. Kornick, Mike said, also promised that if he confessed, he would receive a minimal suspension.

Instead, McGannon said, his son was expelled after a hearing with Boynton.

“I base my decision to expel a student on the information presented during the expulsion hearing,” Boynton said.

But Boynton said the full facts of the incident have not been made public, although he couldn’t discuss them until an April 9 hearing before the school board.

“I’m confident members of the administration are looking forward to the opportunity to present their information to the Board of Education,” he said.

Both McGannon and his attorney, Zachary Simonoff, said Amherst police have told them the pill — which has not been formally tested — appeared to be a 500 milligram Tylenol.

McGannon said his biggest concern is that school officials will target his son for retaliation when he returns to school, both on Monday and after the dispute is resolved.

“They seem very unreasonable in their treatment of him over a Tylenol, so I’m very concerned about his treatment in any future matters,” he said.

If Mike loses his appeal to the school board, he can appeal that decision to a judge, who could ultimately overturn the board’s decision.

Contact Brad Dicken at 329-7147 or bdicken@chroniclet.com.

 

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