taking it to far

i am from virginia, my dauthter confessed to giving 3 other students over the counter cold medicine. at first they said her suspension would be for 3 days, then 10 and now they want to expell her for the year.i want to know if they had the right to question and search her without us being notified, in which they found nothing. and i am looking for any advice in general for when we go up against the school board. i am at the end of my rope and just looking for any advice you can give.

i am a school board member in illinois. in our school district they have to notify the parents before any questioning can be done. upon contacting the parent or parents, they can then question the student and search them, however the student can refuse both, until the parents arrive. the school board would have to meet to expell her from school and you should have the right to speak on your daughters behalf and you can also have an attorney present. if your school has a student handbook, i would check it out to see what the consequences say for dispensing over the counter medication.