PENN HILLS, Pa. -- A Pittsburgh-area school board has upheld the expulsion of a 15-year-old middle school student who was found to have an eyebrow shaver in her handbag during a random search early May.

The Penn Hills School Board on Tuesday voted 8-1 to uphold the expulsion recommended last month by officials at Linton Middle School.

As a result, Taylor Ray Jetter will remain expelled for the rest of this year and 45 days next year. She'll be eligible to receive in-home instruction or other alternatives.

Jetter said she doesn't consider the eyebrow trimmer a weapon, but school officials said it is essentially a razor.

The state's Safe School Act defines a weapon as any knife, cutting instrument, cutting tool, nun chuck, firearms, rifle and any other tool capable of inflicting bodily harm.

Jetter's mother, Lisa Ray Jetter, said there should be an exception to the rule in her daughter's case.

"I'm just going to ask the board to reconsider this," she said. "I think my daughter's been punished enough. She missed school since the beginning of May; she missed (her) freshman finale; she missed the awards. She missed everything."

Taylor Jetter fears expulsion will hurt her chances of becoming a nurse-anesthetist. She's a Girl Scout and a member of the school's basketball team, choir and leadership team.

"I don't consider it a weapon. It's not," said Jetter.

Lisa Ray Jetter told Channel 11 she was allowed to speak for three minutes before the board voted.

Jetter told Channel 11 she will be contacting her attorney about what to do next.