High School Strip Search Case goes to Supreme Court

[DanaC]

Fucking disgraceful. How dare they treat that child in such a cavalier fashion? There is no justification for this. None whatsoever. Can you imagine if an employer attempted to enforce an on the spot strip search of an employee because a co-worker said they'd seen them with some white pills? What would you do, as said employee? Would you go off quietly to be strip searched on the basis of an unfounded allegation, or would you refuse?

Wtf do you do if you're 13? Stand up for your civil liberties against people who have legal power of enforcement over you, in a place that you are legally obliged to attend?

Why, if they had suspicions, did they not contact the girl's parents and wait for them to attend? Why, when confronted with such an accusation against a girl with no previous record of trouble, did they not look for another explanation first (such as headache pills, ffs) and leave strip searching this young woman for a last fucking resort.

I am slightly shocked to hear anybody say this is in any way acceptable, justifiable, or proportionate to the situation.

There's a high incidence of drug use amongst healthcare workers. Should nurses be expected to submit to strip searches (or body cavity searches? ffs) on the basis of unsubstantiated accusations, and with no recourse to legal protection? It's high time we started treating children as full humans. They should have exactly the same rights to privacy and due process that any adult has.


[eta] Just as an aside, and stepping away from this girl's rights, what kind of educators treat their charges like this? Every single one of them should be ashamed of themselves. When did they allow themselves to cease being educators and become prison wardens? Where's their compassion, and regard for children? That they could leap so ungraciously to aggression and force, with a kid that's never caused them trouble...were they even seeing her? Did they even fucking look? Or have they just merged the whole student body into one big mass of trouble?

[dar512]

I see nothing in the article that says that the police were involved. Since when does one private citizen have the right to tell another private citizen to strip?

[Trilby]

Originally Posted by dar512

Since when does one private citizen have the right to tell another private citizen to strip?

When the private citizen is really hot?
(sorry, couldn't help self - continue with serious debate)

[Alluvial]

Originally Posted by DanaC

Why, if they had suspicions, did they not contact the girl's parents and wait for them to attend?

It has been my experience that the school authorities see parents as either collaborating with the student to get away with something, or utterly clueless as to what their child is up to.

[eta] Just as an aside, and stepping away from this girl's rights, what kind of educators treat their charges like this? Every single one of them should be ashamed of themselves. When did they allow themselves to cease being educators and become prison wardens? Where's their compassion, and regard for children? That they could leap so ungraciously to aggression and force, with a kid that's never caused them trouble...were they even seeing her? Did they even fucking look? Or have they just merged the whole student body into one big mass of trouble?

Seems to me that it is a reaction to the way things have been going in schools. With drugs and violence creeping into the system, educators are clamping down on what they can control in an effort to contain the 'bad stuff'. I don't think they are going about it the right way. I think you are right, they see the entire student body as "the enemy". Certainly they are more about the business of 'managing the students' than they are teaching.

I don't blame them 100%. In my area, a lot of this reactionary behavior is exacerbated by overanxious parents. The school is doing what the parents want them to do, they think they are making the school 'safe'. I'm glad my kids are all finished with school.

Hijack: this sort of thing has happened to the police force here also. Instead of referring to residents as "citizens", we've become "civilians". It's unfortunate.

Regarding the strip search of the student: I hope that school authorities ' 'police' powers aren't broadened by this ruling. Law enforcement officers go through training regarding lawful search & seizure; school administrators do not, so cannot know when it is lawful and when it is not (and don't always get it right).