Judge rules in favor of Binghamton City School District in 2019 “body search” case

BINGHAMTON (WBNG) — A federal judge has sided with the Binghamton City School District in a case involving an alleged illegal strip search of four East Middle School students in 2019.

The final judgment on the claims brought against them in this case was in favor of the district, the board of directors and the employees.

The court ruled that the searches were justified and reasonable under the Fourth Amendment, that the students involved were not treated differently based on their race and gender, and that the school's written policies on searches are relatively detailed.

In January 2019, parents and the community became concerned after four black girls were allegedly strip-searched at East Middle School.

As time went on, the issue became more and more complex and several rallies were held to seek answers to the alleged incident.

It caught the attention of then-Governor Andrew Cuomo, who asked the New York State Police to investigate the alleged activities. The NAACP additionally filed a civil rights lawsuit.

On Friday, the Binghamton City School District said it would have no further comment on the matter.

The plaintiffs in this case have appealed.

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