The alleged incident occurred at Countryside Elementary School during the 2017-18 school year. The then 8-year-old student was “‘strip’ search[ed]” without proper cause or parental notification, a direct violation of district policy. District policy requires parents be notified for such searches, and the searches can only be performed when there is “imminent danger” or an “emergency health situation.”
The lawsuit states that school staff performed the strip search to figure out whether or not the child had defecated on the floor of a school restroom.
The students parents didn’t learn about the situation until months after its occurrence when they began to notice changes in their child’s behavior. The child no longer attends Countryside Elementary School and is now seeing a therapist for emotional distress.
Marshall Tanick is the attorney representing the student and his mother and has said that they are alleging the school district “failed to follow multiple policies it has for this situation, [including] doing it in a nonemergency situation and not telling the parents before, during or after,”
The family is seeking at least $50,000 in financial damages and also wants access to the unredacted district report on the incident as the district has only provided the family with portions of the report.
Edina Public Schools spokeswoman Mary Woitte has said that the district “will defend itself from these inaccurate and misleading claims” but will not comment in detail about the allegations.
_______________________________________
Donations to Alpha News are 100% tax-deductible. Help us create more content and reach more people
Megan Olson
Megan Olson is a 2020 graduate of the University of Minnesota with degrees in political science and history. She works in public affairs in addition to serving on the Legislative Advisory Council for School District 196. She is also on the school board for FIT academy, a charter school in Apple Valley.
