Binghamton School Board: “No Students Were Strip Searched”

The Binghamton Board of Education has issued a statement saying there has been "a lot of misinformation" spread about what happened to four young girls at a city school.

A large crowd attended this week's board meeting after allegations were made that the 12-year-old East Middle School students had been strip-searched.

A community group described the incident which was said to have occurred after the girls, who are black, seemed "giddy" during lunch hour and were suspected of possessing drugs.

News of the angry reaction by residents continued to spread beyond New York state.

The school board statement released Thursday afternoon said "officials acted in accordance with" established policy.

According to the statement: "No students were strip searched, nor were they punished as a result of the incident in question and they were allowed to return to class after being evaluated."

The board statement said during a student medical evaluation, there may be a need to remove "bulky outside clothing to expose an arm so that vitals like blood pressure and pulse can be assessed." The statement said "this is not the same as a strip search."

Contact WNBF News reporter Bob Joseph: bob@wnbf.com

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