14-Year-Old Files Federal Lawsuit, Says She Was Strip‑Searched Four Times and Falsely Accused of Pregnancy by Her Father

A 14-year-old Florida student and her father have filed a federal lawsuit alleging repeated invasive searches and a campaign of false accusations by staff at Brevard County schools. The suit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of Florida, names the School Board of Brevard County and an assistant principal at Eau Gallie High School.

The complaint says the dispute began in August 2023 while the student, identified only by her initials M.D., attended Johnson Middle School in Melbourne. The father alleges he reported frequent racial slurs and misogynistic comments directed at M.D. and other students, and that the district failed to address those complaints. He later filed a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education alleging an ongoing failure to protect students of color and alleging falsified incident reports.

Allegations of retaliation and false reports

According to the complaint, after the father's complaints the family was labeled "whistleblowers" and experienced a pattern of retaliation when M.D. began her freshman year at Eau Gallie High School in 2024. Examples cited in the filing include teachers allegedly lowering M.D.'s grades and refusing to correct them until the father produced documentation, and at least one disparaging remark directed at the father.

The suit alleges that on Sept. 18, 2024, one or more school staff contacted the Florida Department of Children and Families (DCF) and reported that M.D. was pregnant and had been sexually abused by her father. Local law enforcement also visited the family home to question the girl, the complaint states. The father says he took M.D. to a pediatrician who provided medical records indicating she was not — and had never been — pregnant. The complaint contends that, despite that medical documentation, school staff continued to interview students about the allegation and that the rumor spread through the school.

Strip-search allegations

The complaint further alleges that, about three weeks after the DCF report, M.D. was subjected to the first of four strip searches by school personnel. Each alleged search reportedly required her to lift her shirt and expose her breasts; in some instances she says she was asked to shake so that any suspected contraband might fall from clothing. One of the searches was allegedly conducted while a man was present in the room. The complaint states no contraband was ever found and that the father was not informed in advance of the searches.

As an exhibit to the complaint, the family included a letter purportedly from the school principal acknowledging that staff “did not follow district policy” regarding searches being conducted by and in the presence of individuals of the student’s gender. That letter does not specify the exact nature of the search.

District response and legal status

Brevard Public Schools’ director of communications issued a statement saying district employees "have never conducted strip searches, and we never will," and declined to comment on other specific allegations in the filing. Defendants in the suit have denied or not yet responded publicly to many of the claims. The case remains pending in federal court and seeks remedies for the alleged violations, which the complaint says caused emotional distress to M.D. and reputational harm to the family.