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10 Young Students Strip-Searched in Texas

2 hours, 27 minutes ago

Add to My Yahoo! U.S. National - AP

LA MARQUE, Texas - Ten students between the ages of 11 and 12 were strip-searched as officials at their charter school tried to find a missing $10 bill.



Seven girls and three boys at the Mainland Preparatory Academy were searched down to their underwear Thursday after one of the girls reported the money missing, said Principal Wilma Green. The money was not found.

"It's not illegal," La Marque Police Chief Richard Price said. "We don't see it as a criminal offense." But he said an investigation was underway.

The search angered at least one parent, who filed a complaint with police and pulled her four children out of the school.

"I have never signed a consent to let my kids be strip-searched — never," said Shelli Owens, the mother of a 12-year-old boy who was searched.

Green said the school has conducted such searches in the past without calling parents.

"Never had a complaint," she said. "I can't say if it happened again I wouldn't do the same thing."

In Thursday's search, the boys were sent off with a male teacher and the girls with a female teacher, who told them to strip to their underwear, Green said.

"Nobody objected to it. Most of the kids didn't mind because they wanted to get their name cleared," she said. "It was no different than what the students would be doing when they would be in P.E. We searched everything down to the socks."

La Marque is about 40 miles southeast of Houston.

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Wayne Brady

WTF! Never had a complaint. WTF! No one objected to it. I know this is a private school but in most schools today there isn't even corporal punishment and these people look at strip searches like it's an everyday occurrence? WTF! I'm sure the perp could've been found without the strip search.

BuzzyShagwell

Car Enthusiast

it was a prep school?

if it was a prep school aren't they allowed to make thier own rules about things due to themselves not being funded by the state

Jimi

I was strip searched in high school because they thought I was dealing drugs. I think that any school personell who strip searches anyone should be fired just like they would be fired if they were making students take their clothes of in any other case.

Wayne Brady

prep school making its own rules is fine and dandy, but the parents pay the bill--were is the outcry. it's a free country, but you can't just do anything you want without consequences. parents removing kids=lost revenue=pissed investors=lost teaching jobs.

"A man has got to know his limitations" --Dirty Harry

udubtacer

I'd consider it pretty unreasonable search considering that they're a.) young and b.) not possessing something that was of danger to themselves or others. The school officials should have called the cops on this one instead of taking this into their own hands. I'd understand if the officials searched the lockers since it's their property with which the children choose to use but it's obvious that this was taken too far. I hope the person who allowed the search wasn't trying to get his jollies from it....

dom6996

Charter schools in Texas are state funded schools. They are privately owned, but they operate under the state and are normally are free. They are an alternative to overcrowded public schools.

This is an outrage! I recently moved to Dallas, Tx and I can tell you that this place is its own country! They have their own rules and views on how things should be done.

My A-B honor child is going through court right now because an overzealous cop (placed by the state on campus) encouraged a mother to press charges after a surveillance caught him and another boy horseplaying in the hall on their way to sixth period! Being charged with assault! Him and the other boy were playing around with their hands in their sleeves and my son's sleeve hit the boy in the face (accidentally).

Texas sux!

dom6996

Texas schools (in Dallas for sure) still have corporal punishment.