Contact: Brad Dacus, President, Pacific Justice Institute, 916-857-6900

NEVADA CITY, Calif., Oct. 20 /Standard Newswire/ -- Another student has come forward to confirm that a school counselor administered a pregnancy test to a 12-year-old classmate at Seven Hills Middle School in Nevada City last spring, without her parents' knowledge.  The girl who was forced to take the pregnancy test, identified in court documents as C.R. to protect her privacy, is being represented by attorneys with Pacific Justice Institute in a lawsuit against the counselor and school district.

Late last week, in a deposition taken by a school district attorney, the second student, whose identity is also being kept confidential, testified that she was in the school office on the day of the incident, and that the counselor announced to her that he had tested C.R. and she was not pregnant.  C.R. and the classmate being deposed are no longer friends.  There is evidence in the case that another student at the school was also given a pregnancy test.

Attorneys with Pacific Justice Institute filed a lawsuit last year against the school district, alleging violations of state and federal privacy rights because school officials did not give C.R. the opportunity to talk to her parents or medical providers before being forced to take the pregnancy test.  The case is scheduled for trial in March.

Brad Dacus, Pres PJI
 
PJI staff attorney Matthew McReynolds, who attended last week's deposition, stated, "We have always felt the evidence in this case is compelling, and last week's testimony by a former classmate with no stake in this lawsuit confirms our suspicions.  We are also concerned that there may be more victims who have yet to come forward."

Brad Dacus, president of Pacific Justice Institute, commented on the new developments, "This case could have been quickly resolved at the outset with a simple apology and policy change.  Since the school district has chosen to deny any wrongdoing, we will continue to fight to ensure that what happened to this 12-year-old girl never happens again in this or any other California school district."

About The Pacific Justice Institute:  Pacific Justice Institute is a non-profit 501(c)(3) legal defense organization specializing in the defense of religious freedom, parental rights, and other civil liberties. Pacific Justice Institute works diligently, without charge, to provide their clients with all the legal support they need.  Pacific Justice Institute's strategy is to coordinate and oversee large numbers of concurrent court actions through a network of over 1,000 affiliate attorneys nationwide. And, according to former US Attorney General Edwin Meese, "The Institute fills a critical need for those whose civil liberties are threatened." "Through our dedicated attorneys and supporters, we defend the rights of countless individuals, families and churches... without charge."

pacificjustice.org