Parent, student outraged after school allegedly forced pre-teens to drop pants for 'poop inspection'

GUSTINE, Texas -- In the small town of Gustine, Texas -- population 457 -- what happens at the local schoolhouse on any given day is heard around town.

Now, what happened Monday is being heard across the nation.

According to WFAA in Dallas, parents said a group of about two dozen students, with ages ranging around 11, were separated into groups and ordered to "pull down their pants" for administrators to check if they could "find anything." Educators had allegedly been "finding poop on the gym floor," parents told FCN, and said the alleged strip search was in an effort to suss out the culprit.

Gustine Independent School District Superintendent Ken Baugh told WFAA that making kids drop their pants is not appropriate. Still, he said, his understanding was that children were told to drop their pants "just a little."

How far is just a little? Student Eliza Medina, 11, explains.

"Like... to where your butt is," she said.

Medina told WFAA she tried to protest the required de-pantsing.

"I felt uncomfortable, and I didn't want to do it," Medina told WFAA.

Medina's mother agrees that having kids line up and expose themselves is unacceptable.

"Wrong is wrong," Medina's mother said.

The school board is investigating the incident, and hopes to have answers by Thursday during a school board meeting.



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