The case of a western Iowa school district which was sued over the strip search of three girls in 2009 has been settled out of court. The suit filed by the families of the girls who attend the Atlantic Community School District was to have been heard in Cass County District Court this month, but a settlement reached last week has brought the case to a close.
The suit was filed in May 2010 on behalf of the girls, who claimed they were strip-searched during a gym class on the afternoon of August 21st, 2009 in a locker room. The search was conducted by a former school counselor, after a classmate reported the theft of $100.
The money was never found. Attorneys for the girls asserted their 14th Amendment rights against unreasonable searches, and an Iowa law that specifically prohibits strip-searching students, had been violated. The terms of the settlement have not been disclosed, and school administrators have declined to comment on the matter.
By Ric Hanson, KJAN, Atlantic