WELLS — The United South Central school board voted unanimously Thursday to expel the 17-year-old girl who mistakenly brought a pocket knife to school last week. The expulsion will last through the end of the school year.

The decision, read by Chairwoman Kathy Krebsbach, came after an expulsion hearing that lasted 3 1/2 hours, including testimony and closed deliberations.

Alyssa Drescher, a junior, was facing an expulsion of up to 12 months for the knife, which was found after a random drug search at the school April 15. She said she accidentally left the knife in her purse after a day of cutting hay bales at her boyfriend’s home a few days prior.

“The family and I are very disappointed with the decision to expel,” said the family’s lawyer Christopher Johnson. “We believe the punishment does not fit the alleged crime.”

Alyssa’s father, Rick, said the family will pursue legal action against the school district.

“The fight’s not over,” he said. “The school district using excessive punishment has got to stop.”

More than 50 people were at the hearing, many of who are Wells residents or students who protested in front of the school on Monday to show their support of Alyssa.

“Parents have to start standing up,” said Lisa Kibler, who organized the protest. “They need to tell their stories, too.”

Superintendent Jerry Jensen, who testified at the hearing, said he thought the high school junior willfully violated the school’s weapons policy. He said the safety of all of the students in the school — including Drescher herself — was at risk.

“Any weapon in school is a serious situation to me,” Jensen said.

Krebsbach declined to comment.

The pocket knife had a blade about 3-inches long.

School officials argued Alyssa actually had her purse — and most likely her knife — for two days at the school, on April 14 and 15, but she only admitted to having it on the day of the search. USC High School Principal Kelly Schlaak said when Alyssa remembered she had the knife in her purse, she should have immediately brought it to the attention of a teacher. She said the school’s weapon policy has an exception for students who tell school officials if they find a knife or who tell a teacher that they accidentally brought a weapon to school.

If she had done so, Schlaak said, she would have not faced punishment.

Schlaack said Alyssa said she did not feel there was a real chance authorities would find the knife because she did not have drugs in her locker.

Regardless, Schlaak described Alyssa as a “model student.”

“I don’t know if she’s ever even had a detention,” the principal said.

When asked whether all other students who have brought weapons to school in the past have been expelled, she recalled that a student who had a lighter.

“A knife can do serious bodily harm to a lot of people in a short amount of time,“ she said.

She said she supported an expulsion through the remainder of the school year.

Jensen said he looked at many criteria when making his recommendation to the school board such a Alyssa’s student record, her situation and whether the consequence would “send enough of a message to other students that this is not acceptable behavior.”

Supporters said the incident was an “honest mistake” and that school officials, particularly Jensen, were seeking to overly punish the high school junior.

They said she never displayed the knife, and no one else knew it was even there.

The police drug dog was alerted to her locker initially because of lotions and perfumes inside.

A few Wells residents, including a family friend, school employee and Alyssa’s employer testified on Alyssa’s behalf, describing the teenager as a role model, who is responsible and would go out of her way to help others

Wells resident Lisa Kibler said she has known Alyssa and her family for five or six years after she worked in Head Start with Alyssa’s younger brother.

“Alyssa is one of those kids you want all kids to be like,” Kibler said. “Any mom would be proud to say a kid like that is someone to represent our school.”

Kibler said she has been a teacher for more than 25 years and thinks situations such as Alyssa’s need to be looked at on an individual basis.

She said youth make mistakes and the district should use this mistake as a teachable moment.

“Every kid’s going to make mistakes,” she said. “We as adults even make mistakes.”

Sue Summer, the activities director at USC, said she coached Alyssa in softball and has watched her play volleyball.

“I’ve always been impressed by Alyssa,” Summer said.

Alyssa’s employer, Bruce Mandler, who owns Wells Marketplace Foods, said he knows the teenager not only as an employee but as a friend to his daughter.

“Any parent in the school district would be proud to have a daughter like her in my eyes,” Mandler said.

Alyssa’s father, Rick, broke into tears while reading a statement to the school board, saying that what happened to his daughter was a “simple mistake that any one of us could make.”

He said Alyssa feels confused and betrayed by school officials.

“She is literally seeing her bright future disappear before her eyes,” Rick said. He asked the school board to consider how they would feel if this were their own child.

Alyssa wiped tears away from her eyes as she saw her father cry.

“I would never have hurt anyone with a pocket knife,” she said, as she read a statement to the school board. “I did not willfully or intentionally bring my pocket knife to school.”

The junior said she is afraid what effect the expulsion will have on getting into a college after graduation.

The junior is an honor student, mentor and volleyball player at the school.