College accused of forced vaginal probes on students has banned the practice
The college, which originally described the probes as a nationally accepted practice, has since reversed course and has permanently banned the classroom probes, according to the Orlando Sentinel.
The lawsuit filed by the women, identified as Jane Doe I and Jane Doe II, accuses the college of bullying the women into submission when they protested the probes. It also alleges that in some instances, instructors sexualized the practice sessions.
The use of vaginal probes on students as a learning tool was not denied by Valencia. Using volunteers, including students, for medical sonography training is a nationally accepted practice, a spokeswoman for the school said in a statement last week, according to Reuters.
But the mounting negative press over the probes resulted in Valencia eliminating the program permanently.
"Weighed down by the distraction of the current controversy, the value of voluntary peer-to-peer participation in transvaginal ultrasound scanning no longer rises above the benefit of using simulation technology, especially in light of recent advances in that technology," college president Sandy Shugart told the Orlando Sentinel.