A former Hartland High School student was forced to reveal her bra during an illegal strip search in 2021, according to a newly filed lawsuit.
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A middle school student was forced to show her bra during an illegal strip search at an Oklahoma public school, according to a lawsuit recently filed on behalf of the girl and her mother.
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In the lawsuit filed March 3 in the District Court of Oklahoma County, attorney Shelby Shelton said the student was forced to participate in the strip search on May 10, 2021.
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She was accused of having a nicotine vape in her possession, but the school did not find one during the search, according to the lawsuit.
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Edmond Public Schools, Heartland Middle School and the school principal are named as defendants in the lawsuit. The defendants are accused of violating the Fourth Amendment, which “protects people from unreasonable searches and seizures by the government.”
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McClatchy News reached out to the district on March 9 and was awaiting a response. A district representative told KFOR they do not comment on pending litigation.
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‘Lift her shirt’
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The search — which “took place in a room with an uncovered window (with) clear view to general access areas of the school” — was done in front of the school principal, a school resource officer and a minor student, according to the lawsuit.
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The principal “commanded” the girl to “lift her shirt, exposing her bare abdomen and the top of her boxers, and spin,” Shelton wrote in the complaint.
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After she spun around, Shelton said the principal asked the girl about the underwear she was wearing under her pants.
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The principal then forced the girl to “lift her shirt up high enough” so that she could see her bra, according to the lawsuit.
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‘Extreme emotional distress’
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The former student “has suffered extreme emotional distress and hardship” since the search, which was described in the lawsuit as “wrongful, extreme, and outrageous, transcending the bounds of all human decency.”
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In addition to accusing the defendants of violating the Fourth Amendment, the lawsuit says the strip search violated school policy and Oklahoma law, which state “in no event shall a strip search of a student be allowed.” The law and policy also state only “cold weather outerwear” may be removed prior to or during warrant-less searches.
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The school did not have a warrant to conduct the search, according to the lawsuit.
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The lawsuit also accuses the defendants of sexual assault, saying that requesting the student to expose her undergarments was “inappropriate and sexual behavior conducted without the consent of (the student).”
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Heartland Middle School is in Edmond, about 20 miles north of downtown Oklahoma City.
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