The families of four girls who were allegedly strip searched at their New York middle school are suing the Binghamton City school district, claiming the searches were racially motivated and caused the students “humiliation and emotional distress.” According to the lawsuit, the 12-year-old girls—all of whom are black or latina—were forced to strip down to their underwear after a school official noticed them behaving “hyper and giddy.” Citing statements allegedly made by the East Middle School principal, assistant principal, and school nurse, the suit claims the searches were “motivated by false race- and gender-based stereotypes” that compounded the “well-recognized harm from being subjected to a strip search in school.” The school district has previously said that an internal investigation found no evidence that a strip search occurred.

— Emily Shugerman