BINGHAMTON, N.Y. — The Binghamton City School District has hired a Syracuse-area law firm to conduct an independent third party investigation in the wake of allegations that four twelve-year-old girls were strip searched at East Middle School.
Ferrara Fiorenza will represent the school district.
Progressive Leaders of Tomorrow, or PLOT, organized a protest on Jan. 29, claiming that the girls were searched after their lunch hour on suspicion that they were using drugs because of their “hyper and giddy” behavior.
PLOT says none of the parents gave consent for the searches and parents were not contacted until after the event. The organization says those who administered the search, including the school principal, assistant principal and nurse, should be removed for showing poor judgement resulting in child trauma.
The Binghamton City School District issued a statement Tuesday saying the girls underwent a medical assessment to determine the cause of their abnormal behavior. The district says they have no evidence that a strip search was conducted.
