High School Strip Search Case goes to Supreme Court

[DanaC]

Originally Posted by Aliantha

They can do whatever they like looking for whatever illegal contraband they might think I have. I have nothing to hide.

Out of interest, have you ever had your house searched by the police?


One of my closest friends was busted by the police (drug squad) on the basis of a 'malicious informant'. They found nothing; there was nothing to find. But they seriously broke the fuck out of his door. And they threw his things about with total disregard. Dragged out his drawers, emptied shit onto the floor. Went through his dirty laundry basket. Pulled the backs off his speakers (common place to hide stuff), went through the bins outside, everywhere, looking for evidence of cultivation or possession.

He wasn't in at the time. He arrived back at his house to find them just finished. They gave him a form to sign and apologised for the inconvenience and off they went. Having ransacked his house, busted the door, dismantled his speakers, rifled through his personal possessions and thrown his stuff on the floor. Having nothing to hide doesn't in any way protect you from having your privacy violated. An enforced search is an enforced search. It happens without warning, and for those who are searched it's often quite a shocking experience.

In theory, there needs to be more than one thing pointing to a suspect for a search to go ahead; but my friend had the (mis)fortune to live on a block where people had been known to grow. His address was the second factor.

[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)

[Cloud]

Students have no rights; never have. They can search your person and your belongings any fucking time they want. It's one of the reason I hated the school authorities when I was dealing with them as a parent. I'll not be surprised if the SC overturns at all.

[DanaC]

Unfortunately children are not strictly speaking 'private citizens'. They are the children of private citizens. Their position in law is highly problematic.

[tw]

Originally Posted by Aliantha

I have nothing to hide.

So why are people required to wear clothes? What is this nothing you have to hide?

[Trilby]

Originally Posted by tw

So why are people required to wear clothes? What is this nothing you have to hide?

oh god, oh, god - do NOT answer this....oh god, oh god.....

[Spexxvet]

Wait until it comes out that the strip searcher is a lesbian pedophile!

[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).

[sugarpop]

So they strip searched a MINOR because they thought she had a LEGAL drug hidden INSIDE her body? WTF?

If I was her parents I would sue the hell out of that school.

[DanaC]

If they were law enforcement officers, I'm pretty sure they'd have had an obligation to involve the parents prior to strip searching.

[classicman]

Originally Posted by sugarpop

So they strip searched a MINOR because they thought she had a LEGAL drug hidden INSIDE her body? WTF?

If I was her parents I would sue the hell out of that school.

See post #1

She and her mother sued Safford school officials

[jinx]

Originally Posted by DanaC

Out of interest, have you ever had your house searched by the police?

I don't know about the rest of them, but a cop I know enjoys this aspect of his job immensely. It's a big joke (about the state he'll leave it in) whenever someone sends him in the house to look for something.

[sugarpop]

Originally Posted by classicman

See post #1

And I would have done the exact same thing.

[Aliantha]

Originally Posted by DanaC

Out of interest, have you ever had your house searched by the police?

No, but I've had the house trashed by thieves. I don't think there's a whole lot of difference.

I was once reported for living in a defacto relationship (with Daryl) while getting student allowance and other benefits, by some anonymous person. This was a big problem because at the time I wasn't actually living with Daryl, and our relationship wasn't such that I could ask him to help financially while it was sorted out. Never the less, the authorities took the word of some 'informant' over mine for a period of time.

While it was a problem for me, ultimately I am not complaining because so many people actually do rort the system and need to be disconnected.

This goes to my belief that in some circumstances it's better to be safe than sorry.