Just say no...to strip searching?

The Supreme Court will be deciding a case soon that could redefine student privacy rights and outline important guidelines for school officials on contraband such as weapons, drugs or alcohol.

Savana Redding was a 13 year old honor student, when she was called into the principals office one day. Another student had been caught with unauthorized medication and fingered Savana as the one who gave them to her. The principal questioned Savana, who denied any knowledge of how the other student acquired the pills, or why she would accuse Savana. A search of Savana's backpack turned up nothing, so Savana was told that a strip search would be conducted.

A female administrative assistant and the school nurse conducted the search. Savana says that after forcing her to strip down, she was told to pull out her bra and shake it and then remove her underwear. Savana says that several times during the search she asked that her mother be called to no avail.

School officials said their first priority is keeping all of their students safe, and that means absolutely no tolerance for weapons, drugs or alcohol of any kind. In this day and age, school officials feel they must use every possible resource and method to secure their school and students.

So my question to you this week is, "Should schools be allowed to strip search students to look for contraband? What rights should students expect regarding their privacy?" Answers are due no late than Sunday, May 2nd.

In Memory of.....

This weekend I attended the funeral of my cousin. Although I was grieved and saddened at the loss, I was also hopeful that out of her death would come something good. My cousin had made arrangements prior to her death to donate her body to medical research. Scientists will use her remains to look for cures for cancer, Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and many other diseases that affect millions of Americans. For more information about donating your body to medical research, visit the following link:
http://www.medcure.org/

We have probably all been to the BMV and been asked if we wish to donate organs. I have been an organ donor since I have been old enough to make the decision for myself. Did you know that 92,000 people are currently on the waiting list for organ transplants and another 3,700 candidates are added each year? 18 people die everyday, waiting on organ donations that could save their life. If you wish to make a decision regarding donation, please visit the following link:
http://www.indianalastwishregistry.org/Default.aspx

Still, organ donation is a controversial issue. There is a lot of misinformation out there, and even knowing all the facts, some people still don't feel it is ethical or moral to donate organs. Some people are scared of organ donation. Some individuals may wish to donate, but their family opposes their decision after death. So my question to you this week is, "How do you feel about organ donation? What about donating your body to medical research? Do you think family members should have the last say?" Answers are due by Sunday, April 26th.

All You Need is Love?

In this class we will discuss same sex marriage, and whether or not gay and lesbian couples should have the same rights when it comes to marriage as everyone else. For this week’s blog, I would like to expand on that issue and discuss same sex adoptions.

Efforts to ban gay and lesbian couples from adoption are heating up all across America. Florida has banned same sex adoptions since 1977. In Mississippi, gay singles can adopt but gay couples can not. In Utah, all un-married couples are banned from adoption. Currently, sixteen additional states are considering bans of same sex adoptions, including Indiana.

Opponents of same sex adoptions, often say that children being raised with same-sex parents will have psychological issues, be bullied or teased at school, have unclear gender role models and perhaps even become gay or lesbian themselves.

Supporters of same sex adoptions include the National Adoption Center, the American Medical Association, the American Psychological Association and the American Pediatrics, all of which state that adoptions by gay or lesbian couples do not negatively affect children.

The issue of same sex adoption is one that inspires debate across America and will probably be left up to the courts to decide, however one thing is clear: we all want what is best for our children. So my question to you this week is, “What do you think of same sex adoptions? Why do you feel the way you do?” Answers are due by Sunday, April 19th.

Live Free or Die!

This week in class we began our study of the Constitution. The United States Constitution is widely recognized and studied as one of the most democratic documents ever written. Most of the freedoms that make us uniquely American can be found in the United States Constitution.

You can order your own free copy of the United States Constitution from: http://www.constitutionfacts.com/index.cfm?section=bookstore&page=freeCopy.cfm

So, this week I started thinking about what freedoms I value most. I think the one I am most grateful for is Freedom of Religion. We are very blessed to live in a country where we are free to practice or not practice our religion as we see fit.

So, my question to you this week is, “What freedoms do you value the most? Why are they important to you?” In addition, I would like you to take a short quiz on the Constitution and include your score and results in your answer. Your score on the quiz will not affect your grade.

The quiz can be accessed at the following link:
http://www.constitutionfacts.com/index.cfm?page=quiz.cfm

Answers are due by Sunday, April 12th. Have a wonderful holiday weekend!