Lorain student nearly expelled for bringing candy to school

Autumn Ciotti was enjoying lunch Sep. 20 at Southview Middle School in Lorain, when she opened a box of Milk Duds.

Autumn, 14, along with her mother, Shannon Ciotti, purchased the box of candy the night before at a Wal-Mart in Avon.

“I ate a couple and they made my stomach hurt, and I just don’t like them anymore,” Autumn said.

She said she set the box down, and a girl who was sitting two seats away, asked if she had any candy.

Autumn said she handed over the Milk Duds.

“Then she ate one or two, and said they smell like weed, then she gave some other girls them,” Autumn said. “They didn’t like them; they spit them out.”

Autumn said she told the girl to throw the box away, but she shared them with a group of boys nearby who had similar reactions which caught the attention of school security guard Michael A. Johnson.

A discipline alert filed Sept. 24, which was provided to The Morning Journal by Shannon Ciotti, indicated Johnson said he confiscated the box and noticed the smell of marijuana and that one of the juvenile males “was walking and talking as if he was under the influence.”

Two other boys also complained of head and stomach pain after eating the candy, Johnson wrote.

Autumn was taken to inschool suspension before

she was retrieved by Melissa Cheers, dean of academics.

The teen was suspended from school for 10 days with an expulsion hearing scheduled for later and a referral to The LCADA Way.

Ciotti was called to pick up her daughter from the premises.

Administrators then contacted Lorain police.

Officer Reuben Figueroa wrote a report on the incident that he too noticed the candy had a “very strong odor of raw marijuana coming from it.”

Figueroa placed the candy into evidence to be sent to the Lorain County Crime Lab for testing.

He suggested in the report that the case be forwarded to the Lorain County Juvenile Court pending the results of the test.

Ciotti ended up taking her daughter to the doctor for drug testing.

On Sept. 27, she received the results which showed no marijuana metabolites in her daughter’s system.

At this point, Ciotti said she was trying to learn the

status of the testing on the candy, but was told after several weeks, that they had not been sent to the laboratory.

Lorain police Lt. Ed Super said the Department doesn’t take items to the lab as soon as they get them, depending on the severity of the case.

“If there was a serious case or a homicide, or something like that, we’d make a special trip out there,” Super said. “It’s not unusual for a case to be gone for one, or two or three months, depending on how backed up the lab is and how long it takes us to get it there to begin with.”

Ciotti said she also reached out to The Hershey Co., which manufactures Milk Duds.

In an email from Hershey’s to Ciotti that she shared with The Morning Journal, the company indicated it ordered Wal-Mart to pull the remainder of the candy from its shelves and tested each box, finding no sign of illicit substances.

Hershey’s verified this communication with Ciotti.

In a letter dated Oct.

9, Ciotti was informed a hearing would start at 8:30 a.m. the next day to decide whether Autumn would be expelled from school for “possession of marijuana; shared with students,” sent from Arliss Prass, chief of scholar and family engagement officer for Lorain City Schools.

Prass declined to comment.

The letter advised her that she and Autumn had the “opportunity” to attend the hearing and if they are unable to do so, they must inform the schools “at least 24 hours prior” to the hearing.

At this meeting, administrators chose not to expel Autumn and she was informed she could return to school Oct. 11.

This was 21 days after she was suspended, but according to Ciotti, Autumn already had failed the semester due to the absences.

On Oct. 25, Ciotti received the crime lab report which found no evidence of any illicit substances in the candy.

Now, Ciotti said her daughter is experiencing bullying and she is looking for answers.

“I would hope that no other parent would have to go through this,” Ciotti said.

Lorain City Schools CEO David Hardy Jr. declined to comment on specific details of Ciotti’s case.

“I’m glad that it was resolved,” Hardy said. “I’m glad that Autumn is back in school and receiving a good education.”

To Ciotti, a “sorry” is not enough.

“The damage is done,” she said. “They failed my daughter.”