Tween Girls Strip Searched at School
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
A group of girls were strip searched at school when money went missing. Was it a violation of their rights?
Several outraged parents filed police reports last week claiming at least one female teacher from Trinity Lutheran School in Monroe, Michigan strip searched a group of seventh grade girls when $42 was reported missing from a student.
Martha Feller, the mother of one of the girls is upset by the school's handling of the situation. "They treat criminals like that, not 12-year-old innocent children." According to Feller, the girls where forced to strip down to their bra and underwear. Her daughter, claims Feller, is so humiliated by the incident she hasn't returned to school.
Since Trinity Lutheran -- who has declined to comment -- is a private school and not restricted or run by the government they can, for the most part, make their own rules.
What do you think of the school's method of catching a tween thief?
Email20 comments so far | Post a comment now >>
This is unacceptable. Regardless of whether it’s a private institution or not, this is still a country where citizens (to include minors) are innocent until proven guilty. The fact that these girls were under 18 just makes matters worse.
- Charles Orlando
I would go ape sh*t if anyone strip searched my kids for any reason. It’s not acceptable and a horrible practice for any school. Kids have enough issues with their bodies without being horrified that problems at school could lead to them being strip searched. Fire the peole who made the decision to do this.
- foxymama
just curious… did they find the money?
- Anonymous
Did they really think it was worth the girls’ humiliation to strip search them over a whopping $42? And why is a kid that age carrying that much money to school anyway?? Even though this was a female teacher who did the searching, there was an episode last week in my area of a female teacher who was charged with 2 counts of child seduction for inappropriate conduct with her female teen students. What I would like to know is: Were the parents called before this searching took place? Were the parents and/or law enforcement present during this ‘investigation’? Did the teacher have permission from her supervisor or did she take it upon herself to do this? We don’t have all the facts to this story. Private institution or not, children have rights to their privacy, and I would imagine there would have to be some sort of violation here. I can’t even imagine the way the girls felt during this episode. They will remember this forever.
- JoLynn
WHAT!!!!! that is so not right… no way!
- ~Me~
Totally unacceptable!! It would take a lot for me not to beat that teacher to the ground. No one has the right to make a child take their clothes off! These poor girls are now going to remember this and NEVER trust another teacher and will more than likely have issuse trusting adults. I would really like to know just what that school/teacher were thinking when they decided that this was a good thing to do. There needs to be consequeces to their actions and they certianly do not need to be working around children if this is how they take care of them. My heart goes out to the girls and their families.
- Wendi
Two questions 1) Was the money found? 2) Who sends their kid to school with $42.00 in their pocket?
- Megan
Yes the money was found in a desk The money was for school pictures
- P.0.
It was found in a desk?! So strip searching the kids was their first response?! Completely unacceptable by any standards.
- Janice
the money was not found in a desk. the desk and lockers and coats were the first thing searched…get facts straight before posting
- ...
WHAT?!?!?!? This is the craziest thing I have ever heard. I think strip searching the girls is a little extreme. I am sure these girls are traumatized due to this. I am 33 years old and being strip searched would be horrible for me I can only imagine how these little girls feel. If I was a parent of one of these children I think I would be looking into filing a lawsuit!!!
- lynne
Hmmm… It’s obvious that this was not a very bright move. But traumatized for life? Get real. Think back to middle school - phys ed - kids who are not independent and have to be checked on by teachers for any number of things, including when they start messing around, fighting, or playing in the bathrooms or locker rooms. These kids and their female teacher have had to deal with embarrassing personal situations before this. I don’t find it totally shocking that some girls had to shake out their tops and a few, perhaps because of conflicting stories or suspicious actions, were checked more closely. It was a stupid move, especially in this litigious age. But child abuse? Give me a break. These kids went home with dollar signs in their eyes, ready to call mom’s lawyer.
- Onlooker
This situation has been blown COMPLETELY out of proportion and gotten TOTALLY out of control! The entire country is now basing their opinion of this school and it’s teachers on the corrupt and biased information they have gotten from the media. This is NOT the WHOLE story people!! Maybe the teens wouldn’t be so traumatized if the parents weren’t so dramatic at home. GET YOUR FACTS STRAIGHT before you start point fingers and making accusations that will negatively affect these teachers, the principal, and their families forever!!!!!!!! THESE ARE NOT BAD PEOPLE. Stop trusting the media so much will you?
- K
K- Since I stated above that we were not given all the facts, and since I had many questions, could you please fill us in? You seem to know more about this than we do. I understand that the media has ways of twisting things around, and that only few details were posted. If you know something that would help everyone understand better, maybe you could clarify things for us? Thank you.
- JoLynn
Doing some late night searches and happened upon this article. I’ve read most of the posts and was surprised to find that no one posed this question: Where did they intend to did the money? I mean, I was far from an innocent kid in school, and I’ll admit, stole a couple things. However, I don’t ever remember thinking, “Man, maybe I should just stick this down my shorts, they’ll never find it there!”
- NickEl
First of all I think k and onlooker need to buy a clue because this is and always will be about those young girls and there rights! I have just watched an episode of Dr.Phil and he had a parent of one of the girls on there and her facts were straight! she said that her daughter cries for no reason and will never be the same again! look I don’t know how many of you bloggers have been strip-searched(I have)but if you have been then you would know that,that is something that you would never forget!!
- Abrown
“This situation has been blown COMPLETELY out of proportion and gotten TOTALLY out of control! ” Actually, ‘K’, you’re the drama queen. According to several news reports this story is “accurate”. And yes, it was just on Dr. Phil. If they can’t be prosecuted for strip searching them, then perhaps they should be prosecuted as child molesters. “I acted with poor judgment” (as the principal is quoted in news stories) won’t cut it. This is criminal behavior.
- Fred
what!!! I can’t believe this, 12 year old’s wearing bras! to hold what up exactly?
- Leon
strip the teachers and see how they like it1
- angry
I don’t care if this was a private school or whatever, these girls rights were violated and there should be criminal charges filed! I hope the parents file a class action suit and the school goes under. Pre-Teens for christsake!!!They had no right to do this to them. If it was mine, they’d never be back. It’s disgusting, teachers traumatizing those poor kids!
- Scarlett
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