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Officials: 4th-grader smokes pot in school bathroom, faces possession charge

PITTSBURGH — A fourth-grader caught smoking marijuana in a Pittsburgh grade school restroom will be charged with possession of a small amount of marijuana.

Pittsburgh Public Schools officials aren't identifying the girl, who was taken to a hospital after she reported feeling ill after the incident at Pittsburgh Roosevelt School.

Acting Principal Anthony Pipkin wrote in a letter to parents that other students told staff that the girl was smoking the drug.

“(My daughter) and a group of her friends walked into the bathroom and said they smelled it and walked out,” Thea Penn said.

Pipkin said the girl told school officials she brought the marijuana joint and cigarette lighter from home.

“Thanks to the quick response of several students, administration was alerted that a student was smoking marijuana in one of our restrooms,” the letter stated.

The 10-year-old has been charged with juvenile possession of marijuana and will be disciplined within the school system, officials said.

Authorities couldn't immediately say whether the girl's parents or guardians might face charges, too.

The girl was treated and released from the hospital. No other students were affected or harmed.