The voice behind Dora in the hit kiddie TV show 'Dora the Explorer' was implicated in a lawsuit against the celebrity-friendly private high school Avenues: The World School in Chelsea.
In a court case filed Monday, CBS New York reports that Fatima Ptacek, who speaks for the spunky Nickleodeon character, was given special treatment when she was caught vaping in the school bathroom with two other girls.
Parents Nadia Leonelli and Fredrik Sundwall said their 14-year-old daughter, referred to in court records as M.S., was forced to leave the school while F.P., identified as Ptacek, was only suspended for three days. They want their daughter re-enrolled.
According to the Daily News, Ptacek who is 15 and and is a year ahead of M.S. in school persuaded M.S. to smoke caramel flavored water with a third girl when they were tattled on by a senior. The parents said in court filings that there were no drugs involved, not even tobacco, yet their daughter was forced to withdraw from the school where tuition tops $40,000 a year.
They say administrators were arbitrary and capricious, violating their own policies by forcing their daughter to withdraw while only suspending Ptacek and leaving the third girl scot-free. When confronted on the afternoon of Dec. 10, both girls, "overwhelmed by fear," initially denied the vaping charges.
However, they said, their daughter immediately confessed to them, saying she had succumbed to peer pressure and wanted to appear "cool" to Ptacek "because she is older than M.S. and is a celebrity, being the actress who does the voice of Dora the Explorer on television and having a movie nominated for the Oscars."
The New York Post reported that the parents claim in the suit they've spent over $10,000 in legal fees fighting the school's "inappropriate decision" and haven't been refunded any of the $40,000 tuition even though the expulsion was just a few months into the school year.
A school spokesman said, "Matters involving litigation and discipline of students are private and confidential," when asked to comment.
A rep for Ptacek also did not return a call for comment.
