HomeCrimeOklahoma principal sued over vape pen strip search

Oklahoma principal sued over vape pen strip search

Heartland Middle School, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma (screengrab via YouTube/KFOR)

The mother of an Oklahoma City middle schooler has sued her daughter’s school for subjecting the student to an illegal strip search during which the child was allegedly forced to lift her shirt, show her bra, and spin in front of the school principal and an uncovered window.

According to the complaint filed on March 3 in Oklahoma state court, school officials suspected the girl had a nicotine vape pen in her possession, then searched her per the principal’s directions. No vape pen was found during the search, and no warrant was obtained prior to the search.

The girl, identified in court papers as “S.W.”, alleges via the filing that she was forced to “bare her abdomen and the top of her boxers and spin” in a room with an uncovered window that exposed her to the general access areas of the school. The school principal, Veronica Johnson — who is also named as a defendant — supervised the search and asked S.W. “what undergarments she was wearing under her pants.” S.W.’s mother alleges that Johnson “commanded S.W. to lift her shirt high enough so that [she] could see the minor child’s bra.”

In addition to the principal, Edmond Public Schools and Heartland Middle School are named as defendants.

The lawsuit raises claims for intentional infliction of emotional distress, negligence, violation of school policy, unreasonable search and seizure under both state and federal law, sexual assault, and simple assault. The plaintiffs claim damages in excess of $25,000 and allege that S.W. suffered “extreme emotional distress and hardship” as a result of the incident.

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