A Washington, D.C., parent alleged that her daughter felt “violated” and “disrespected” after she was forced to lift her shirt and bra after the metal detector was set off.
Natasha Wiggins’s 17-year-old daughter was allegedly forced by Kipp DC College Preparatory School to lift her bra and shirt in front of a school administrator after the metal wire in her bra set off the metal detector, a report filed with the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) says, Fox5DC reported Thursday. Wiggins told the outlet the school’s decision to have her daughter do that was, “against all policies.”
“She felt violated, disrespected, and I’m not sure,” Wiggins told the outlet. “It was just against all policies.”
A D.C. mother is furious after she says her daughter was forced to lift her shirt up and expose herself in front of an administrator at her high school after the underwire in her bra set off a metal detector. https://t.co/s4FR9PEbuP
— FOX 5 DC (@fox5dc) August 24, 2023
Wiggins’ daughter had gone through the metal detector when it alerted that there may be a weapon. The girl was reportedly instructed to go back through the metal detector and then searched with a wand – which didn’t signal a beep.
The girl was then allegedly pulled aside for a private search in the copier room with Jashri Shankar, the vice principal of the school, and instructed to lift her shirt and bra to show that there were no weapons. After this incident school officials resolved that it was the girl’s bra wire which set the detector off. (DC Elementary School Teacher On Leave Amid Accusations Of Abuse: REPORT)
The school’s handbook reportedly states that searches “shall be authorized and conducted by a member of Kipp DC’s Leadership team” while a witness is present, except in situations where a witness being present is “impractical.”
Wiggins told the outlet that her daughter had not been “allowed to notify” her, and that it wasn’t until 1 p.m. when her daughter found a teacher “she felt safe with” that she was made aware of the situation. Prior to this her daughter had told another teacher about the situation and Wiggins reportedly still wasn’t contacted.
“Based on our investigation, which consisted of reviewing video footage from the incident and statements from both the KIPP DC staff member and student in question, we have no reason to believe there was any improper activity,” the school told the outlet in a statement.
The Daily Caller reached out to the Metropolitan Police Department and Kipp DC College Preparatory School for a statement but did not receive a response by the time of publication.