Ardmore school officials say drinking during a school sponsored activity last weekend is what suspended several high school basketball girls for at least 45 days. They claim that the activity was at the assistant coach's home and parents of the girls are angry with the punishment. KTEN's Hailee Holliday reports.

School officials say the girls brought alcohol to the team-building event that was centered around college preparation.

Some parents of the children say they know their children were in the wrong, but feel the punishment of being suspended for 45 days is a little excessive. They say they understand that the girls made a mistake, but some of them have never been in trouble before and are good students with good grades. Parents say the incident did not happen on school property, and claim that the coach had knowledge of the drinking and she failed to contact them.

School officials say the punishment is policy.

Ardmore School's Superintendent Dr. Ruth Ann Carr says, "That incident has been investigated and is continuing to be investigated and is under our board policy and student conduct code every student receives. What occurred is defined as a major offense."

Dr. Carr says that school policy states a suspension on a major offense can be for the rest of the semester and for the exceeding semester, but that can vary with the severity of the offense. She says that the coach is not in the wrong and safety of the children is their biggest concern.

Hailee Holliday, KTEN News