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Dora the Explorer Allegedly Got a Girl Expelled After Peer-Pressuring Her to Vape at School

Child actress Fatima Ptacek was given a three-day suspension after getting caught vaping at school, while her less-famous accomplice was expelled.
Original images via Flickr users Lindsay Fox and Håkan Dahlström

Read: A Mom Is Mad That Her Cigarette-Addicted Son Can't Vape at School

Some parents have filed a lawsuit against a private school after their 14-year-old daughter was expelled for vaping in a campus bathroom with child star Fatima Ptacek, voice of Nickelodeon cartoon character Dora the Explorer, the Associated Press reports.

Ptacek and the expelled teen—only referred to as "MS" in the lawsuit—weren't doing drugs, but were called into the principal's office after being caught vaping "caramel-flavored water" in the bathrooms at a Manhattan private K-12 school called Avenues: The World School back in December. Ptacek was let off with a three-day suspension, while MS was completely booted.

Now the teen's parents—Nadia Leonelli and Fredrick Sunwall—are suing the school, claiming that Ptacek was given special treatment.

"The fact that FP is a known actress for being the voice of Dora [the] Explorer may have played a role in why she was ultimately not expelled even after the school threatened as much, and MS was expelled instead as a scapegoat," the lawsuit claims.

Leonelli and Sundwall don't want to drag Ptacek down for inhaling candy water or whatever. They just want the World School to let their kid back in, and are seeking damages to cover tuition and legal fees, around $40,000 in total. The parents say MS just wanted to look "cool" in front of the 15-year-old Nickelodeon star.

The school declined to comment on the story, and told the AP that disciplinary matters are "private and confidential."