Lawsuit: 14-year-old girl illegally ‘strip searched’ at Oklahoma school for nicotine vape pen

(The AEGIS Alliance) – A recent lawsuit claims that a middle school student from Oklahoma was subjected to an unlawful strip search by the school principal, who forced her to reveal her bra and spin around after being suspected of possessing a vape pen.

In a legal complaint filed at the beginning of this month, the mother of a 14-year-old girl alleges that her daughter was instructed to raise her shirt to a point where the school principal could observe her bra.

The incident allegedly occurred in 2021 at Heartland Middle School when the young girl was suspected of possessing a nicotine vape pen. The illegal strip search reportedly took place in a room that had an uncovered window with a clear view of the school’s public areas.

Veronica Johnson, the school principal, a school resource officer, and another student were reportedly present during the strip search.

The lawsuit names Veronica Johnson, the school principal, as one of the defendants in the case.

According to the legal filing, the student was required to “bare her abdomen and the top of her boxers and spin” during the strip search. Johnson allegedly asked the student what type of undergarments she had on beneath her pants during the search.

As per the allegations in the lawsuit, Johnson also instructed the student to raise her shirt to a level where the principal could see her bra.

The search reportedly did not yield any vape pens, and no warrant was obtained prior to the incident that occurred on May 10, 2021.

Apart from Johnson, the legal complaint also names Edmond Public Schools and Heartland Middle School as defendants in the case.

The legal complaint claims that the minor was subjected to an illegal and inappropriate strip search, and it further accuses the school, principal, and district of failing to exercise due care, committing assault, and breaching both district policies and state laws.

According to the lawsuit, the measures taken against the young girl were “wrongful, extreme, and outrageous,” and exceeded the limits of acceptable human behavior.

The lawsuit claims that the student experienced “severe emotional distress and hardship” as a result of the strip search.

The legal complaint asserts that the strip search constituted a violation of the student’s Fourth Amendment rights, which safeguard individuals from unreasonable searches and seizures. It further alleges that the incident breached Oklahoma law and Edmond Public Schools policy.

The lawsuit is demanding compensation of over $25,000, in addition to attorney fees and other expenses incurred as a result of the legal proceedings.

Edmond Public Schools’ policy mirrors that of Oklahoma state law, which unequivocally states that “strip search of a student shall never be permitted.”

Both the state and school policies explicitly prohibit strip searches except for the removal of students’ outerwear.

Related News: FDA destroys U.S. Vape Industry… except Big Tobacco. A vape education.

Kyle James Lee – The AEGIS Alliance – This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.