Pubdate: Thu, 14 May 2015 Source: Toronto Star (CN ON) Copyright: 2015 The Toronto Star Contact: http://www.thestar.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/456 Author: Jocelyne Richer Page: A4 ONLY POLICE IN QUEBEC CAN STRIP SEARCH STUDENTS Policy Change Follows Outrage Over Search of 15-Year-Old Girl QUEBEC- School officials in Quebec will no longer be permitted to strip search students as the provincial government moved to act on a report recommending that only police officers conduct such examinations. The report, made public Wednesday, was ordered following the highly publicized strip-search of a 15-year-old girl at a Quebec City school in February. The incident sparked outrage right across the country after the girl told a local paper she felt violated by the search after school officials suspected her of selling drugs. Education Minister Francois Blais said Wednesday the practice will soon be banned. "First, it's not acceptable because it's a kind of humiliation for people," Blais said. "And second, only because it's not really efficient." Fabienne Bouchard, a former prosecutor and retired lawyer hired to conduct the probe, wrote a school that has serious grounds to believe a student is involved in drug trafficking should call police instead of carrying out the search itself. The Quebec City school board at the centre of the controversy defended its actions and said it was only following government policy drafted in 2010 after consultation with provincial police and school board officials. The school principal in question said the girl disrobed behind a curtain and that there had been no physical contact. No drugs were found. Family lawyer Francois-David Bernier maintained the high school misinterpreted government guidelines on searching students and humiliated his client. - --- MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom