Tyler Stay, 17, will start his senior year in a few weeks but it may not be at Bethel Park High School.

Tyler was expelled a week ago, because district officials found two Airsoft guns and a drywall saw in the trunk of his car in April.

Airsoft guns look like real guns but shoot plastic pellets.

"I'm pretty mad, but I think the way they handled it is just plain wrong," Tyler said.

He and his family had planned to attend the public meeting at which the board was to vote on his expulsion. But the item never appeared on the publicized agenda for the Aug. 8 meeting.

The only item on the agenda posted to the district's Web site was the hiring of a middle school assistant principal. At the last minute, the school board placed his expulsion on the agenda.

Even after the public 4-3 vote with one abstention, the family said no one from the district told them.

District spokeswoman Vicki Flotta said the district's attorney, Michael Brungo, called the Stays' attorney, Craig Lee, the next day and spoke to him about the decision.

"Our procedure is, once you are represented by legal counsel, our legal counsel communicates with your legal counsel," Mrs. Flotta said.

Mr. Lee said the ruling would allow Tyler to return to Bethel Park at the end of April. Mr. Lee said he is considering filing a petition in Common Pleas Court to review the decision.

Board members Daniel Duff, Charles Koch, Charles Scheuble and Connie Ruhl voted to expel Tyler, who admits he had the items in his car because he forgot to take them out.

Board members Donna Cook, Susan Gout and Ronald Sustich voted against the expulsion. David Amaditz abstained.

Board member Richard Rose was absent.

Mr. Sustich said adding the item on the agenda at the last minute was not meant to be sneaky.

Terry Stay, the boy's father, said the family would have gone to the meeting if the item had been on the agenda.

"I would have had the TV cameras in front of them," he said. "They don't want the publicity but they're not going to be able to get away from it."

Schools typically do not release student discipline information because of privacy rules but expulsion votes must happen in public.