7 students punished at Oprah’s school for girls

Four expelled, three suspended for violating code of conduct at academy

NEW YORK - Seven students have been punished for violating the code of conduct at Oprah Winfrey’s school for disadvantaged girls in South Africa, the second controversy to hit the fledgling institution since it opened in 2007.

Winfrey representative Don Halcombe said Wednesday that four students were expelled and three were suspended last week from her Leadership Academy for Girls outside Johannesburg.

Halcombe declined to say what led to the violations because there are minors involved. Lisa Halliday, a spokeswoman for the academy’s foundation, said it was a confidential school matter and would not “confirm any personal information or disclose any details related to these expulsions.”