I dialed my mom a thousand times, but no one answered. I was getting angrier by the second; the situation just didn’t feel right. A school security guard had just removed me from my classroom and taken me to the office.
The guard and a school counselor asked if I had any sharp objects on me. Then they said they were going to have to search my bag. But I looked back at them confidently and said, “No one will be checking my bag without my mom here."
My mom always told my sister and me to never let anyone search or question us without her knowing or being there. She wants to make sure we don’t put ourselves in any kind of danger, or uncomfortable situation.
When school security realized that I wasn’t going to just hand over my rights, they called the school police officer to make sure the search was enforced. I was getting angry -- starting to boil over.
The whole thing was a case of mistaken identity, and I didn’t have anything in my bag that violated school policy. But that’s not the point. I felt violated. Like the school had more control over me and my personal belongings than I did.