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Jon Miller
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it was for one of those girl's gone wild video's
Jon Miller
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LTEC!
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...and ICE CREAM!
Feb 2000
time: 21:13
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SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE
May 1, 2002
RANCHO BERNARDO – A high school assistant principal accused of asking students to show their underwear before entering a dance was placed on administrative leave today after district officials had weighed the "severity of the allegations and concerns of those involved."
Dozens of infuriated parents and students have demanded that the administrater, Rita Wilson, be fired, saying she violated students' rights by forcing girls and boys attending a dance to lift their clothing and expose their undergarments. The reason for the check, the district said, was to "ensure appropriate school dress."
Several girls attending the dance Friday said they were asked if they were wearing thong underwear, and told to go home and change if they were. Female and male students complained of having to lift their clothing and expose their undergarments to Assistant Principal Rita Wilson and counselor Natalie Johnson outside the gym while their peers watched. The reason, the district said, was "to ensure appropriate school dress."
"It was a violation of these kids' privacy, and very embarrassing for kids at that age," said Cindy Chappell, whose 16-year-old daughter complained that her bra was exposed while Wilson examined her tube top.
The student said she was asked whether the tube top was attached to her bra. After answering, the student said, Wilson grabbed her tube top and yanked it down, exposing most of her bra.
"I felt embarrassed because there were about 50 people standing around," Chappell's daughter said. "I didn't think I had done anything wrong."
San Diego city police Officer Greg Bisesto said that while patrolling the dance, which was attended by about 725 students, he watched Wilson force dozens of girls to lift their skirts. He said he heard Wilson ask the questions: "Are you wearing underwear? If so, is it a thong? . . . Then let me check."
"I just thought, 'Oh, my God, what is she doing?' " Bisesto said. "This is totally out of line."
Parents have been told that part of the motivation for the inspections was an incident involving partial nudity at the dance last year. The dance, called "MORP" – "prom" spelled backward – is the only informal dance at the school and is considered the wildest of the year, students said.
Students typically dress in costume to fit a theme, which this year was "Blast From the Past." Last year, some students wore loincloths for the "Jungle Fever" theme. Things got out of hand, students and parents said, and one girl took off her underwear and revealed herself on the dance floor.
While not condoning Wilson's alleged actions, school board President Penny Ranftle said: "I suspect the intent was to make sure students were more protected, in terms of being covered. But having said that, I don't think it's appropriate to ask what kind of underwear a student is wearing."
Jordan Budd, legal director at the American Civil Liberties Union for San Diego and Imperial counties, said that if the description of the night's events provided by students is accurate, "it plainly violates the privacy rights of girls and boys subjected to the searches."
Some parents have threatened to file invasion-of-privacy and sexual-harassment lawsuits against the school. Parent Alane Barnes Garvik said she will not be satisfied until Wilson and Johnson are removed.
"Those two need to be gone," said Garvik, whose daughter was asked if she was wearing a thong. "That's the only acceptable consequence. These people, as far as I'm concerned, need to be classified as sex offenders."
Garvik's sophomore daughter was forced to go home and change before she could enter the dance, although thongs are not barred in the school dress code. The code states that undergarments, including "boxers, tank-top undershirts or underwear" should not be exposed.
"I felt like they were really touching a private area," the 16-year-old said. "I didn't think they had a right to know that stuff."
Other students who asked not to be identified because they feared retaliation at school said they encountered similar treatment at the costume dance.
One 17-year-old junior said he had to lift the toga he was wearing and show the shorts he had on underneath.
"She said, 'What's under your toga?' " the student said. Johnson, the counselor, did not seem satisfied until the student raised it, he said.
During the dance, at least two people tried to stop Wilson's examinations.
Bisesto, the police officer, said he approached Assistant Principal Michael Mosgrove and asked him to talk to Wilson about her behavior. Bisesto said he does not know if Mosgrove spoke with Wilson, but he said the examinations did not stop.
A member of the school's student government, Michael Barber, said he approached a teacher at the dance, asking him to talk to Wilson, but the teacher declined.
"Teachers were our only line of defense, and when we tried to say something, nothing was taken seriously," said Barber, a senior.
Wilson, who has been working in the district since 1995, was described by students as a strict administrator who is known for enforcing the rules. As one of four assistant principals at the 3,166-student school, she oversees some disciplinary issues and organizes school events.
The district hopes to complete its investigation within a week or two, said district Communications Director Sharon Raffer.
"We are taking this seriously and want to ensure that any actions to be taken are based upon the facts of the situation," Superintendent Don Phillips said in a written statement.
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02-05-2002 07:40
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