Governor Andrew Cuomo has directed the New York state Education Department to investigate allegations that four 12-year-old girls were subjected to strip searches in their middle school nurse's office.
Binghamton City School District officials said last week that the girls, who are black, were evaluated by the nurse on January 15th, but not strip searched.
More than 100 people protested outside the school Tuesday afternoon, saying the girls were humiliated after being strip searched for drugs because they appeared "hyper and giddy."
On Tuesday, the district said it had hired a law firm to look into the incident. Cuomo has also directed state police to assist local authorities in their investigation.
A group calling itself “Color Of Change” is gathering signatures on a petition making several demands of the Binghamton City School District – here’s the link.
Associated Press contributed to this report.