A school is being sued over accusations the headteacher made a 14-year-old expose her bra while searching for a vape. The student, identified by her initials only, was accused of bringing a nicotine vape pen into the school campus.
In the lawsuit filed by mum Kristal Trenkamp, it is claimed the student was subjected to a stripsearch in a room “with an uncovered window that has a clear view to general access areas of the school”.
The mum also claims her daughter was asked to lift her shirt high enough so Veronica Johnson, the school’s headteacher, could “view the minor child’s bra”.
The alleged strip search was conducted in front of Johnson, a school resource officer and another student, the lawsuit says.
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Johnson is named as a defendant in the lawsuit along with Edmond Public Schools and Heartland Middle School in Oklahoma, where the incident is alleged to have taken place.
Johnson told the student to spin around after telling her to lift her shirt up, exposing her stomach and the top of her boxers, according to the lawsuit.
It is claimed the headteacher then asked what undergarments the student was wearing under her pants, before telling her to lift her shirt high enough to expose her bra.
The lawsuit says the strip search was “wrongful, extreme, and outrageous, transcending the bounds of all human decency”.
The mum is seeking $25,000 (£20,000) in damages, plus lawyer fees and any other costs occurred after the student “suffered extreme emotional distress and hardship” following the traumatic ordeal.
Furthermore, the lawsuit claims the strip search violated the schoolgirl’s Fourth Amendment rights, which protect people against unreasonable searches and seizures.
They also claim the search violated Oklahoma law and Edmond Public Schools policy.
Edmond Public Schools’ policy states that “in no event shall a strip search of a student be allowed”.
According to Oklahoma state law, the state and school’s policies forbids strip searches which involve removing students’ clothes.
Express.co.uk has reached out Edmond Public Schools for comment.
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