An investigation is underway after school staff ordered four children to drop their pants to see if they were hiding forbidden vapes .
Judy Kelley , a chairperson for the board , said : “ We do not accept this as a means to investigate vaping in the washrooms .
The youngsters – aged 13 to 16 – said they were ‘ forced ’ to pull their trousers down to their knees and ‘ shake their underwear ’ to prove they weren ’ t concealing vape products .
“ Our assistant director general is involved , our regional director is involved , they ’ re asking questions and trying to get to the bottom of it .”
Andrew Forgione , a grade nine student at LaSalle Community Comprehensive High School in Quebec , Canada , said he was ‘ traumatised ’ by the experience .
The 15-year-old said : “ They took us to the office to be strip searched ; you ’ re cornered in a room ; you have no phone and you can ’ t call your parents , you feel like you don ’ t have a choice .
“ It felt like being a prisoner because that ’ s what happens in prison , you are frisked down to your boxers . This should not be happening at school .”
Amazingly , a board official tried to argue that the term ‘ strip search ’ shouldn ’ t be used to describe the event at all , as there was no physical contact and the children weren ’ t told to remove all of their clothes .
However , the Canadian Supreme Court defines a strip search as the removal or rearrangement of ‘ some or all ’ of a person ’ s clothing to inspect their ‘ private areas … or undergarments ’.
Following the incident , longtime vape advocate Christina Xydous said it was ‘ profoundly shocking ’, but not surprising .
Andrew was suspended for one-day when teachers eventually found a vape pen hidden in one of his socks .
The 15-year-old ’ s mother Laura McCarthy was furious , saying that the school was happy to reveal that her son was caught with a vape pen , but failed to tell her about the strip search .
She said : “ No adult has the right to tell a child to drop his pants , no one … I was devastated , my son was violated .
“ I ’ m not proud that he had a vape pen on him , but they should have notified the parents , someone should have been there with him .”
The four teens later walked out of class , where they were joined by parents and other students to protest about the school ’ s actions .
The school board launched an investigation into the incident and , while it says the strip search was ‘ regrettable ’, it believes there was no ‘ malicious intent ’.
She said : “ The lengths to which people are willing to step over what would normally be considered ‘ lines that can ’ t be crossed ’ to manage youth vaping are increasing .
“ It can only make sense through the lens of a hysteria around vaping products , but public health authorities and anti-vaping groups have done everything possible to stoke this kind of moral panic .”
The Quebec Coalition for Vapers ’ Rights ( CDVQ ) spokesperson added : “ Maybe their policy says that children aren ’ t allowed to bring vapes onto the property .
“ But is it really a justification for humiliating them and putting them in a situation where they ’ re treated like criminals ?”
Nobody from the school or school board was available for comment .
The lengths to which people are willing to step over what would normally be considered ‘ lines that can ’ t be crossed ’ to manage youth vaping are increasing .
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