I.S. v. Binghamton School District was filed on April 29, 2019 by LDF and Morrison & Foerster LLP against the Binghamton School District on behalf of parents whose twelve-year-old daughters were subjected to an illegal strip search in January. The lawsuit comes after the school district failed to rectify the situation, including a refusal to issue an apology for the girls’ shocking mistreatment at the hands of East Middle School’s principal, assistant principal, and school nurse.
The complaint filed by LDF and Morrison & Foerster says that school officials’ racial bias caused them to interpret the innocent and playful behavior of four twelve-year-old girls as so suspicious that they conducted the extreme measure of strip searching them. The four students are Black and Latina, and all of the school officials involved in the incident are white. The complaint cites research that shows how stereotypes often lead adults to perceive Black and Latina girls as more suspicious and less innocent than white girls, and needing less nurturing, protection, and support.
After encountering the four girls talking and laughing in the hallway during the lunch period, the principal and assistant principal escorted them to the health office because of what they considered to be unusual behavior. At the health office, the school nurse conducted intrusive and demeaning searches, which involved the removal of various articles of clothing, at the direction and at times with the assistance of the principal and/or assistant principal. The girls were also subjected to humiliating comments during the searches. None of the girls’ parents were contacted before the search occurred. The girls have since been moved to a different school within the District.
On January 20, 2021, the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc. (“LDF”) filed an amended complaint in I.S. v. Binghamton School District.
