The parents of an 11-year-old girl battling leukemia are suing their Illinois school district to allow their daughter to take medical marijuana at school.
The girl, identified as A.S. in the lawsuit, has seizures and suffers from epilepsy after going through chemotherapy treatments. A patch and cannabis oil drops would help her get through the school day, according to the lawsuit.
The family’s lawyer Steven Glink told the Daily News on Friday that she would be risking seizures and even death if she attends school without the medical marijuana.
“Allowing her to wear it would change her whole world,” he said.
The state does have a medical marijuana law, but it bars cannabis on school property. The lawsuit argues that the policy violates the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act.
A.S. was prescribed cannabis patches last year, but she needs the drops to properly control the seizures, according to the lawsuit, filed in federal court on Wednesday.
The family wants a preliminary order that would allow her to wear the patch and get the cannabis oil drops. Glink is hoping to get a favorable court ruling before the girl is scheduled to return to school on Tuesday.
School officials say they can’t do much right now.
“We do also share the same concerns and care about (A.S.) and her family in this situation,” Schaumburg School District superintendent Andrew DuRoss told USA Today. “But we cannot legally grant the request that was made due to the rules of the Illinois medical cannabis act.”
