Dora the Explorer actress, 15, is 'suspended for smoking in the bathroom of private $47,000-a-year high school in NYC'

The teenage actress behind the voice of the 'Dora the Explorer' was suspended for three days after she and two other girls were caught vaping in a private high school bathroom, according to a lawsuit.

The parents of one of the girls, a 14-year-old former student at Manhattan's Avenues: The World School, have filed a lawsuit saying she was the only one forced out of the school, where tuition costs more than $47,000 a year.

Meanwhile, they say 15-year-old actress Fatima Ptacek was given special treatment and the third girl was not disciplined at all following the incident last December.

Actress Fatima Ptacek, 15, (pictured in 2015) who voices Nickelodeon's Dora the Explorer character was given special treatment after she was caught vaping in a private high school bathroom, according to a lawsuit filed by another student's parents

Ptacek (pictured in the studio) voiced the title role in Dora the Explorer from 2012-2015 and has voiced Dora's character on the spin off Dora and Friends: Into the City! since 2014, according to her website

The girls at the time were allegedly using a vapor pen to inhale caramel-flavored water when they were caught by a senior at the school who told on them, according to the New York Daily News.

The lawsuit was filed on Monday by the parents of the 14-year-old girl, identified as M.S. in a Supreme Court civil case, which says their daughter succumbed to peer pressure because she wanted to appear 'cool' in front of Ptacek.

The parents, Nadia Leonelli and Fredrik Sundwall, are suing the school, claiming administrators were arbitrary and violated the school's policies by forcing their daughter to withdraw, according to the New York Daily News. 

In the suit Ptacek is referred to by her initials but it identifies her as being the voice of Dora and an actress in an Oscar-winning movie.

'The fact that F.P. is a known actress for being the voice of Dora Explorer may have played a role in why she was ultimately not expelled even after the school threatened as much, and M.S. was expelled instead as a scapegoat,' states the lawsuit by Leonelli and Sundwall.

The parents of a 14-year-old former student at Manhattan's Avenues: The World School, say their child was forced out of the private school while Ptacek (pictured in 2015) was only suspended for three days

Leonelli and Sundwall want their daughter, who is now enrolled in another private school, reinstated in the school and are seeking $40,000 in damages to cover tuition payments and legal fees, according to their court filing. 

Leonelli and Sundwall's daughter had never been in trouble before, according to the suit.

The parents said their daughter and the actress were 'overwhelmed by fear' and initially denied the vaping charges when they were confronted on December 10 about the incident, the New York Daily News reported.

But they said their daughter immediately confessed to them, and the following day admitted the details to to school officials, according to court documents. 

In a written 'confession', Ptacek reportedly admitted the details to the school saying she got the vape pipe from a male student in her grade. 

Ptacek pictured with a costume Dora in New York in 2014. Ptacek and two other girls were allegedly caught using a vapor pen to inhale caramel-flavored water last December

The parents of the 14-year-old girl have filed a lawsuit and want daughter reinstated in the school (pictured) and are seeking $40,000 in damages to cover tuition payments and legal fees, according to their court filing

'At first, we didn't know how to turn it on, but then we figured it out,' Ptacek reportedly said in the confession, according to the New York Daily News.

'We both sucked in from the vaporizer, but I was a little scared, so I didn't inhale into my lungs but kept it in my mouth.'

While their daughter reportedly gave school administrators the same account as Ptacek, they said school officials told them they treated M.S. more harshly because she was found not to be 'trustworthy', but did not explain how, according to the New York Daily News. 

School spokesman Bruce Bobbins said disciplinary matters are 'private and confidential,' and he declined to comment on the lawsuit.

Ptacek's publicist did not return a request for comment on Monday. Neither did a spokesman for Nickelodeon. 

Nickelodeon's Dora the Explorer, which premiered in 2000, features a bilingual Latina main character and her adventures inside an animated world. 

Nickelodeon's Dora the Explorer, which premiered in 2000, features a bilingual main character and her adventures inside an animated world

Kathleen Herles, left, played Dora between 2000 and 2008 before Caitlin Sanchez, right,  took over 

Ptacek voiced the title role from 2012-2015 and has voiced Dora's character on the spin off 'Dora and Friends: Into the City!' since 2014, according to her website.

At the age of five, she was discovered by Wilhelmina Models and grew to be one of the 'highest paid child models in the world, making over $200,000,' according to her website.

She has reportedly been featured in ads for Ralph Lauren, Macy's, the Gap and was also cast in films including The Rebound, and on TV shows including Saturday Night Live, Sesame Street and Royal Pains.

The first Dora the Explorer was 25-year-old Kathleen Herles who is currently attending college at Pace University. She played the animated character between 2000 and 2008. 

She was replaced by Caitlin Sanchez, 20, between 2008 and 2010. Sanchez ended up suing TV station Nickelodeon over claims she had been 'cheated' out of millions of dollars. 

However, the case was settled in 2010. 

Court documents showed the star was paid $5,115 per episode.