Article Detail

Title: Girl Sues District over Forced Pregnancy Test
Author:
ID: LL166
Issue: SU2-4
Issue Date: 2005-07-01
Edition: School
Type: Article

Body:

A 15-year-old Texas girl who claims her school nurse forced her to take a pregnancy test is suing her school district and the nurse, according to an Austin TV station. Channel 8 News in Austin recently reported that the student and her father, who are represented by attorney Wayne Krause, have filed suit against the San Marcos Consolidated School District and San Marcos High School and Nurse Dyanna Eastwood in federal district court.

According to the news report, Nurse Eastwood received information from a boy at another school that he had impregnated the girl. The lawsuit claims that the nurse brought the girl to her office and forced her to submit to a pregnancy test. The school district denies their studentís allegations, maintaining that the girl was exaggerating.

The report said that the girl denied that she was pregnant or had ever had sex with the boy, but Eastwood still insisted she take the test.

The problem starts when you force or coerce someone into doing something instead of asking them to do something," Krause told the TV station. He also said if the girl can prove she was forced to take the test, she has a solid case.

In a follow-up story, Channel 8 reported that San Marcos Consolidated Independent School District Board of Trustee President said the school district has not decided whether a school nurse should administer a pregnancy test to a student.

"We've never had that discussion as far as whether we test or don't test. We have no policy regarding that," Breed said.

Texas School Nurses Organization President-elect Cathy Harris told Channel 8 that school nurses typically don't approach student in these situations. Harris said nurses usually only inquire when they think incest or abuse is involved. When it's just high school rumor; however, Harris said nurses shouldn't get involved. Harris told the TV stations that she's nervous this incident will tarnish the reputation of school nurses. "For something like this to go out it makes it look like all school nurses would handle the situation like this and it's just not the case," Harris said. According to the girl's attorney, she was not pregnant and no disciplinary action was taken against the nurse. Court dates have not yet been set.

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