A Wisconsin school superintendent who allegedly confined six students in a school bathroom and forced them to strip to their underwear to search for e-cigarettes has been charged with false imprisonment.
Suring Superintendent Kelly Casper, 51, was arrested Monday for the Jan. 18 searches, according to online jail records.
The six girls, all between 15 and 17, told detectives a similar story: Casper told them to get undressed in the Suring High School bathroom, then checked their legs, bottoms and bras. Two of the girls were allowed to keep their leggings on because they said they weren’t wearing underwear, according to the criminal complaint.
The school nurse, who started at her job that day and helped in the search, said Casper told each student that they were “better than this” and “making bad choices” and that she “really cared about them.”
Oconto County District Attorney Edward Burke Jr. initially declined to press charges, saying that the incident did not constitute strip searches by law, but then changed his mind.
“Upon their review, the state found that Casper lacked legal authority to confine the students in a small restroom in the school complex,” he said in a statement Monday. “The state also found that the students did not consent to being confined, nor were they given the opportunity to leave or contact their parents.”
If convicted, Casper faces up to six years in prison on each charge.
The Suring School District has scheduled a public meeting for Wednesday.
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