A federal judge has ruled in favor of the Binghamton City School District in a long-running case involving the alleged strip search of several students at East Middle School, which sparked fury from the community.

The case — originally filed in April 2019 in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of New York — alleged that on Jan. 15 of that year, four 12-year-old girls, all of whom are students of color, were stopped by school principal Tim Simonds while walking in the hallway. Both Simonds and assistant principal Michelle Raleigh escorted the girls to the health office where school nurse Mary Eggleston allegedly searched each girl without explanation or notifying their parents or guardians. Eggleston conducted a sobriety test on each of the four girls and searched their belongings. Some of the girls were asked to remove articles of clothing.

The girls were subsequently transferred to Columbus School, an alternative school, and then to West Middle School in February 2019.

The original lawsuit maintained that the city school district, the Binghamton Board of Education and each of the three school officials violated the girls’ civil rights under federal law. The plaintiffs argued that the searches performed by school officials violated the Fourth Amendment, which protects against unreasonable search and seizure. They also claimed the searches were conducted — at least in part — because the girls were Black and Latina, violating the Fourteenth Amendment and Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The lawsuit claimed two of the girls’ civil rights under federal disabilities law were also violated, as they were transferred to an alternative school without receiving accommodations for their Individual Education Programs.

In September 2020, the district court dismissed several parts of the plaintiff’s lawsuit. In an opinion authored by Judge Glenn Suddaby, the court tossed out the two girls’ claims under provisions of federal disabilities law. The court allowed for the plaintiffs’ Fourth Amendment arguments to continue but dismissed the allegation that two of the plaintiffs — labeled A.S. and J.B. in the record — were subject to a strip search.

Suddaby also dismissed the plaintiff’s complaints under the Fourteenth Amendment’s Equal Protection Clause and Title VI. He ruled that the plaintiffs’ allegations against the individual school officials, like the nurse’s comments about the girls’ “bodies and their attitudes,” were insufficient to prove the search was racially motivated and violated equal protection. The court, however, left the door open for the plaintiffs to refile their Fourteenth Amendment and Title VI claims. Attorneys from the NAACP Legal Defense Fund and a multinational law firm filed their amended lawsuit in January 2021.

“All students deserve to learn in a safe and supportive environment,” NAACP attorney Cara McClellan said. “Yet racial bias disrupted the education and wellbeing of four Black and Latina, middle-school students, whose normal, childlike behavior was used by school officials to justify illegal strip searches simply due to the color of their skin. We cannot undo the trauma endured by these four young girls at the hands of school officials, but we will fight to vindicate their rights and to ensure that all Binghamton students are able to learn in schools that respect and protect them, regardless of their race or gender.”

In February 2024, the district court considered and dismissed much of the amended lawsuit. Suddaby dismissed the girls’ Fourteenth Amendment case, concluding that the evidence provided by the plaintiffs was insufficient to establish a violation of equal protection. The court also dismissed the entirety of the plaintiffs’ Title VI claim and found that the Fourth Amendment was not violated when school officials searched three of the four girls. Eggleston’s search of the fourth girl, I.M., was found to have “greatly exceed[ed] the scope” of the others because she was allegedly touched underneath her bra — her Fourth Amendment case therefore survived.

I.M.’s case against Eggleston was dismissed last month in the district court. The plaintiffs’ attorneys filed an appeal on Aug. 9 in federal court. The city school district, in an Aug. 23 press release, expressed its commitment to maintaining a tolerant school environment and acknowledged the right of plaintiffs to appeal the decision.

“Throughout the duration of this case, the district and staff endured significant harm, including threats and harassment as a result of the erroneous claims which were made,” the press release read. “These actions have affected not only those directly involved in the case, but also the entire school community. This situation was taken seriously from the very beginning, and the district will continue to build toward its goal of providing each and every student with a safe, supportive, and equitable learning environment. BCSD urges our community to come together in a spirit of support and respect, focusing on the well being and education of our students. The Binghamton City School District has remained silent on this case in order to respect the legal process and protect the integrity of the fact-finding process. Plaintiffs have exercised their right to appeal and, as such, the district will not be making any further comments on the matter.”