School denies that 12-year-old girls were strip-searched

Source: Associated Press


Updated 5:47 pm CST, Thursday, January 24, 2019

BINGHAMTON, N.Y. (AP) — An upstate New York school district denied Thursday that four 12-year-old girls were subjected to strip searches in their middle school nurse's office, an allegation that brought a throng of community members to a school board meeting to demand answers and disciplinary action against staff members.

The community group Progressive Leaders of Tomorrow urged people via social media to turn out at Tuesday night's school board meeting. The group said the girls, who are black, were questioned and "strip-searched" by the school nurse and assistant principal at Binghamton's East Middle School on Jan. 15 because they seemed hyper and giddy during their lunch hour and were suspected of possessing drugs.

"The children were instructed to remove their clothing, and felt ashamed, humiliated and traumatized by the experience," said a statement distributed by the group at the meeting. The group issued a list of demands including a stop to strip searches of children and a public apology to the students and community.

On its Facebook page, Progressive Leaders of Tomorrow said three of the girls had to remove their shirts and the fourth was given an in-school suspension for refusing to remove her shirt and pants.

Read more: https://www.chron.com/news/education/article/Anger-over-alleged-strip-searches-at-upstate-NY-13557853.php