Sixteen teenage girls claimed they were forced into stripping to allow school administrators to check for their use of vaping. Families of the teenagers—students at Suring High School in Wisconsin—have now retained a civil rights lawyer, after the local district attorney declined to bring criminal charges against Suring High officials.
Wisconsin law makes it illegal to perform a strip search on a student by any employee, agent or official of the school district. This is also against school policy.
The District Attorney Edward D. Burke Jr., however, said Tuesday that he wouldn’t press charges against Kelly Casper (the superintendent) and Kelly Casper (the school nurse), who made Kelly disrobe the girls. Wisconsin law defines a “strip search” as one that requires the disclosure of g.The enitals and pubic regions, the breasts, and butts.
Burke explained that girls were requested to change into their underwear or bras, and not their undergarments. Officials patted their legs while two students were not wearing underwear. Burke released a statement saying that Burke asked one of the students to remove her braband from her body. However, Ms. Casper and the nurse did not see her breasts.
However, one of the girls states that this is not true. She told police she was forced to show her breasts for them to check her underwear.
While it is possible for the search to escalate to criminal behavior, it does seem absurd. Being forced to strip down to one’s underwear in front of others can be embarrassing and uncomfortable—especially for teenage girls, who aren’t exactly known for their comfort with their bodies—even without further exposure.
Regardless of the feelings students may have about this, school officials should not be allowed to force children to take their clothes off.
This is all especially troubling when you consider that they weren’t searching for any weapons, knives or other dangerous items. Because they were concerned about students, they made them strip. Vaping.
Based on TCH Daily NewsThe incident was first reported by the newspaper. Students were taken into custody for searches following being found vaping at school. A parent claimed that their daughter was “taken into a room, gave her vape to them and told by the superintendent that they were going to strip her.”
Wayne Sleeter, President of the School Board, told FOX 11, that his board needs time to collect and review information. He will be discussing the search at the March 2 meeting.
The parents of one or more girls shared their stories with the Green Bay Press GazetteJeff Olson was hired to represent the clients. According to the newspaper, Olson indicated that he will draft a settlement plan and proceed with litigation if there is no settlement. Olson stated to Fox 11 that it was difficult for him to justify the intrusive search of e-cigarettes that he had already discovered.