This is why I'm against zero-tolerance policies and mandatory minimums. They take away the ability to exercise common sense and judgment for a situation. While I can see this young lady being punished for her MISTAKE (yes that is what I am calling it), expulsion and a felony as an adult is WAY overreaching. I wonder how many people that are chemist now started off mixing chemicals at home and at school and God even knows where else to see "what happens". Heck I can guarantee that most of the people on this board, including myself has done the "let's mix this and this and see what happens" experiment.
And since when do we treat 16 year olds like adults, especially for a minor offense like this? Teenagers do dumb things. So we are now holding the mistakes of teens against them the rest of their entire life? Especially for this? smh. GTFOH. The only thing that gives me some hope is a lot of the attorneys that I hear talk about this case seems to think it will probably be thrown out, especially on a felony count. But then again it is Florida...