A Michigan mother is accusing her son’s middle school of strip-searching him on at least two occasions.
Cheyenne Johnson said staffers at the Mt. Pleasant Middle School forced her 11-year-old Xavier to “pull down his pants,” and take off his clothes to the point where his “skin was showing” and placing him in isolated in-school suspension.
“He was asked to remove articles of his clothing, pull down his pants, remove shirts, you know. His skin was showing and he, he will tell you himself, he feel humiliated,” Johnson told WNEM 5.
Johnson said her sixth grader was strip searched twice in November in order to prove he didn’t have a gun.
On top of the strip searches, Johnson said Xavier was placed on in-school isolated suspension after getting in an altercation with other students that wasn’t what it seemed.
“When he got to school, it wasn’t in-school suspension. He was locked in an isolated room. There was no desk, no teacher, no chair, no schoolwork. He was sitting on the floor,” Johnson said.
Xavier filmed a video from inside the room, obtained by the outlet.
“All I want is my child to be able to receive an education just like any other child. Like he has barriers. He needs a little bit of extra help, but that doesn’t mean that he should be locked in a room,” Johnson added.
The National Parents Union has reportedly filed complaints with the US Department of Education and the DOJ, following several headline-making incidents in the Mt. Pleasant School District.
You may remember that Mt. Pleasant is the same where seven-year-old Jurnee Hoffmeyer had her hair cut off by a librarian just nine months ago.
“There needs to be accountability behind what taken place with Jurnee Hoffmeyer and behind Xavier. The district has failed to hold itself accountable,” Christina Laster, director of the National Parents Union said.
“Because there seems to be a pattern and a history of poor practices that would really constitute discrimination agains the Black, brown, and Indigenous children and families.”
The school district released a statement that said “the allegations are without merit,” but a “third party” will be reviewing the matter.
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