US Supreme Court: Strip Search Violates Student’s Rights
Written by Deborah J Thomas
Filed under: Administrators, High School, K-6, News, Parents, People Involved, School Safety Issues, Students
I don’t know if you heard about that controversial piece of news about a 13-year-old school girl who was strip searched by officials at her school. It happened in 2003, when another student told the school authorities that Savana Redding had brought prescription-strength ibuprofen pills to school. The school principal then instructed a school nurse to search the student for the pills. A cursory search of her clothing yielded nothing, and in spite of the fact that the tip was not really verified, the nurse ordered her to take her clothes off, exposing her breasts and pelvic area. The nurse was unable to find any pills.
More than five years later, the US Supreme Court has laid down a decision on the case. The New York Times has a story about the ruling, written by Justice David H. Souter:
A search of Ms. Redding’s backpack and outer garments did not offend the Fourth Amendment’s ban on unreasonable searches. But the pills in question, each no stronger than two Advils, did not justify an “embarrassing, frightening and humiliating search,” Justice Souter wrote.
Naturally, this incident has caught the attention of the public. Think about it, if you had a daughter – a teenage daughter – and she was made to endure a strip search in school because of an unverified tip, how would you react? I would probably head on over to the school and demand an explanation – and more. No matter how you look at it, a strip search is quite demeaning.
Now I am not saying that in certain cases, a strip search may be necessary. In Savana’s case, however, I do think that it was a bit excessive. While ibuprofen may be banned from school grounds, I hardly think that it was a matter of life and death; that it warranted a strip search then and there.
On the other hand, I do realize that school authorities do have a problem with drugs being brought to and used in school. This ruling does place them in a bind. I somehow understand that school authorities are quite worried that they might find their hands tied in this regard. However, perhaps there are other ways by which we can deal with the drug problem in schools. As for strip searches, they may or may not be necessary.
Personally, I think that in this particular case, it was not. But I am not going to close myself to the possibility that one may be necessary in other cases. What about you?
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