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.
strip searching children at school is definatley unappropriate. the schools shouldnt be able to do anything to the student without parental consent. or if they are subject to anyof that they have to inform all the students that those are the new rules and they are subject to drug screening or strip searching if this and this happens. i think that they shouldnt have the right to do that if the parents tell them they can do it then it would be a diffrent story but they wouldnt even let this girl call her mom before they did that to her.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Dan the parents need to be informed and agree to such a search. If the parent was unavailable why not have a police officer bring in a drug dog to conduct a search I was under the impression that this is why they are used. When does probable cause go straight to the strip searches. Just because it is a child involved rights should be enforced just the same as adult rights.
ReplyDeletei agree with josh and Dan. I think that the situation is bogus and the administrative asistant and the nurse should have nothing to do with the search. They should call the police station and have a police officer do the search because a strip search is actually in their job description. There for they should leave the searches up to a proffesional.
ReplyDeleteThere needs to be parental consent before a minor is stripped searched in a public school. There is never an appropriate reason to strip a minor down in public regardless of the perceived threat or infraction. A minor's rights have to be protected as much as anyone else's and perhaps more as a minor they rely on adults for protection and support. Not to embarrass them and humiliate them in a quest to prop up totalitarian school administration.
ReplyDeleteI can't believe I'm hearing this, I think it is totally unappropiate! I don't think schools should be strip searching kids. I think kids have a right not to be humiliated, I agree with topher on that. I think that the strip search could have a bad psychological effect on the kids. There are other ways than a strip search. Bring in the police and the drug dogs.
ReplyDeleteYes I agree with everyone, the rights of the children have to be protected. It is unimaginable how a child would feel to undergo that type of humiliation of being stripped searched. I as an adult could not fathom the feeling of someone strip searching me because of someone accusing me just to keep them out of trouble. The school should have a lawsuit on their hands for not having parental consent to search a minor without a parent our guardian’s permission. Where were the school police? There are certain precautions that are implemented for minors that were ignored with the excuse of students safety is there first priority.
ReplyDeleteI agree with everyone else also. Children should not be put though a strip search no matter what they officals are looking for. This little girl was only 13, so her parents should have been called and told what the situation was before they did that to the girl. Parents expect that when their children go to school that they will be safe and protected, not forced to take their clothes off so they can look for drugs. This was wrong. I beilieve the school was in the wrong, and that no one should make a child go though that.
ReplyDeletei dont think children should be strip searched. that child is probably traumatized now and was humiliated. if they insisit on doing it then the parents should definately be present. the child should be able to feel saft at school and now maybe she is scared to go. police should be the only ones authorized to do any sort of strip searching and only with good reason.
ReplyDeleteI don't agree with any search of a student, unless there is a just cause for such a search. I believe that strip searches are a bit extreme, but I believe that we live in extreme times. I am torn between what I think is right, and what is necessary to keep the public safe. I believe that we must give up some privacy to remain safe, and reveal certain threats. Some of our freedoms as Americans allow those who would do harm to remain undetected, and this is a weakness of our society. Like I said, I cannot decide what is right and what is wrong, but I don't make the laws, I just abide by them, or most of them.
ReplyDeleteI think that it is wrong to strip search a child. If they have to I agree with others that said they need a parent or gardian there. If the kid is 18 I dont see what would be wrong just because he or she is considered an adult but 13 without a parent or gardian is just wrong.
ReplyDeleteI believe that no one has the right to be strip searched without probable cause! If it has to be done to young students than their parents and lawyers should be involved! There are ways of keeping everyone safe without having some one go through a strip search without the proper people being around. If some one was making my son strip search with out me and probable cause they better be in for some seriouse consequences!! As a mother I will protect my child with any cost! That's all I got!
ReplyDeleteI strongly disagree that schools should be allowed to strip search students. I do not understand how the administration can stand there and watch all that happen. They should have called the cops if they felt it was this big of a deal. The fact that they are debating this issue in the Surpreme Court is crazy.
ReplyDeleteI don't think that schools should be able to strip search a student. If they have a suspicions I feel that they should contact their parents and a police officer about the issue. They should never make you take your clothes off without first contacting your legal guardian and explaining everything in full detail. I just don't think that they have the right to do that to a minor without their parent.
ReplyDeleteI feel that as long as the parent(s) are in the room then it can be acceptable. But if there is not a guardian present then they should find another way to conduct their investigation. When a child does anything out of order and displinary actions need to be taken a parent is (should!) always be contacted first. Those are just my thoughts.
ReplyDelete-Erica West
I really don't think that the school should be able to preform a strip search on any student! If they suspect a student selling drugs they should have the right to search the locker but not a strip search. The child that was involved probably will have major issuses due to the trama of that event. The parents should be contacted first and then the authorities, the student should be taken to the police station in a case like that. What if the girl was innocent, look at the humiliation it could cause her. If that was my child someone would have to answer for their actions.
ReplyDeleteI do admit that I am not know everything when it comes to the law, but if they strip search or even search a minor they are required to notify and/or have a guardian present. Thus making it illegal as to what they did to this student. I strongly believe that no one has the right to search a minor without a parent or guardian present, this includes law enforcement. The manor in which this was done is really upsetting and I hope that the childs guardian did something about this problem.
ReplyDeleteI understand that school want their students to be safe, but they must include the parents when trying to discipline or search a child. They are not the parent. Schools want to say that the way a child behaves is not the schools fault but the parents, well the, include them before trying to discipline them!
i thank that searching is a good thing if done right the school should have probable cause and have some really good reason to search them. if you don't have some way of catching the people they will try to get it in the school and it will be easier to get things in.
ReplyDeleteI think that searching should only be done if it is under the correct circumstances. The parents need to be informed of the situation and their presence needs to requested. Also, their needs to be probable cause to the search. Searches don't need to be performed on "hunches" or he said she said.
ReplyDeleteI believe schools should be allowed to strip search students within good reason. But if they don't find anything in their lockers, book bags or on them then no I don't think strip searching should be permitted. The students rights should be, if they ask for their parents to be there than I believe the faculty should grant the students request and wait until the parent is present. Also, how do you know if the other student is telling the truth. She might not like that person and is blaming her because she got caught. Plus, if the student that was wrongly accused has never been in trouble and is an "A" student that should be taken into account as well.
ReplyDeleteYes, I do believe that schools should be allowed to strip search students to look for contraband under one condition, parents should be called and present before anything takes place.
ReplyDeleteThe rights that students should expect regarding their privacy are to have the ability to request their parent’s presence and also the ability to prove their innocence to simply name a few. Thank you, Shannon Sellars
i do not believe strip searches should be allowed in schools unless parental consent is given and should only be used as the very last resort in an extreme situation. if it was not for the safety of other students i would say that strip searches should be made completely illegal, they are degrading and humiliating. i was pretty disgusted when i read this story. also lolita i do not think that being an "A" student qualifies as a reason for a strip search or not. in my experience there are just as many "A" student drug abusers as there are "F" student drug abusers.
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