'That is not acceptable': Montreal mom furious son told to drop his pants at school during search for vaping products
A Montreal mother is outraged that her teenaged had to lower his pants at his school last week during a search for vaping products -- a search that one constitutional rights lawyer said went too far.
Andrew Forgione, a Grade 9 student at LaSalle Community Comprehensive High School, called it a traumatizing experience when he and three other students were implicated in the search, during which he had to lower his pants but not his underwear. All four students are between the ages of 13 and 16.
"I dropped them. I had to grab the side of my boxers, move them around, my waistband to see if anything fell out and I had to turn around and do the same thing in the back," Forgione, 15, told CTV News.
His mother, Laura McCarthy, said when he told her what happened, she was furious.
"When you’re asking a 15-year-old boy to drop his pants, that is not acceptable," she said.
"They could have called the police, they could have called a parent, we were not notified."
BOARD SAID SEARCH WAS 'REGRETTABLE'
School officials did find a vaping pen on Forgione. According to the school board's policy, students are banned from bringing any illicit substances and items onto the premises, including vaping paraphernalia.
However, the school board said an investigation is underway to look into what happened, but says there was "no malicious intent" in the search.
"The Lester B Pearson school board is the first to say at our level this is regrettable. We do not accept this as a means or a way to investigate something like vaping in the washrooms," said Judy Kelley, a chairperson of the Lester B. Pearson School Board.
"Our assistant director general is involved, our regional director is involved. They’re at the school, they’re asking questions. They’re trying to get to the bottom of it."
Lawyer Julius Grey said it's clear to him that a search like this was unreasonable.
"If it’s just vaping stuff and if it’s not something that’s immediately dangerous I think it is going too far," he said.
"It’s one thing to look in a locker, it’s one thing to look inside a desk, it’s another thing to tell somebody to pull down his pants."
Darren Becker, communications director for the school board, told CTV News the school has a right to search students if there are "reasonable grounds."
Becker also stressed that the term "strip search" does not apply to Friday's incident, as students weren't asked to remove all of their clothing, just to lower their pants.
Forgione said he was suspended after the vaping pen was found on him and that going back to school since the incident has been an awkward experience.
"They said that they are investigating but nothing has happened yet and something has to be done," he said.
In the meantime, his mother is also concerned about how the experience might affect her son at his school.
"No adult has the right to tell a child to drop his pants. No one," she said.
"I’m not proud of the fact that he had a vaporizing pen on him. But I think that they should have went about it in the right way. They should have notified the parents, someone should have been there with him."
With files from CTV News' Matt Grillo
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Breast cancer screening should start at age 40, Canadian Cancer Society says
The Canadian Cancer Society says all provinces and territories should lower the starting age for breast cancer screening to 40.
DEVELOPING Live updates as Stormy Daniels testifies at Trump hush money trial
Adult film star Stormy Daniels is on the stand a second time Thursday as former U.S. president Donald Trump’s hush money case continues in Manhattan. Follow live updates here.
Ontario family receives massive hospital bill as part of LTC law, refuses to pay
A southwestern Ontario woman has received an $8,400 bill from a hospital in Windsor, Ont., after she refused to put her mother in a nursing home she hated -- and she says she has no intention of paying it.
Canadian-Israeli man shot dead in Egypt; claim links killing to Gaza
A Canadian man 'of Jewish Israeli descent' has been shot dead in the Egyptian city of Alexandria in a suspected criminal case, a security source said, while a previously unknown militant group said it carried out the attack in reaction to the war in Gaza.
Here are the ultraprocessed foods you most need to avoid, according to a 30-year study
Studies have shown that ultraprocessed foods can have a detrimental impact on health. But 30 years of research show they don’t all have the same impact.
Ontario man frustrated after $3,500 paving job leaves driveway in shambles
An Ontario man considering having his driveway paved received a quote from a company for $7,000, but then, another paver in the neighbourhood knocked on his door and offered half that rate.
Why these immigrants to Canada say they're thinking about leaving, or have already moved on
For some immigrants, their dreams of permanently settling in Canada have taken an unexpected twist.
Bank of Canada says financial system is stable, but risks remain
The Bank of Canada says the Canadian financial system is stable, but risks remain due to debt servicing costs among households and businesses and stretched valuations of financial assets.
BREAKING Sheldon Keefe out as head coach of Toronto Maple Leafs
The Toronto Maple Leafs have fired head coach Sheldon Keefe. The team made the announcement Thursday after the Original Six franchise lost to the Boston Bruins in seven games in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs.