Changed my high school schedule with a pdf editor. Facing expulsion.

So, to me, it doesn't seem that bad. All I did was take my high school schedule and put someone else's name on it with a PDF editor. I only have half days every day, and he wanted that too. Well the kid got caught and told on me and now I'm suspended and they're threatening to expel me.

I know that it was obviously wrong to do, but an expulsion seems like a lot over just using a PDF editor. They're treating me like I hacked into the system.

They're claiming it was fraud.

Basically my question is, if they go through with the expulsion, can I go in front of the board and fight it? If so what do I say?

This is in California and it's a public school

The school doesn't except schedules to get you out early, it needs to be printed on your ID. So I knew it wouldn't work, I only did it so that they would tell him he needs it on his ID, because I told him it wouldn't work. He insisted it would. I really thought he wouldn't actually go to show the attendance and pretend that it's real.