Court cases

In a case called Safford vs. Redding, a thirteen year old girl named Savanna Redding was striped searched at her school because one of her class mates had told the principal that she had been selling ibuprofen to some of her class mates. With that example schools should have the ability to search students. When they have a good amount of probable cause, and or a good amount of reasonable suspicion. Imagine yourself in this situation, if someone searched you for an object that was a violation of the schools property, wouldn’t you feel awkward and embarrassed? Then why would you risk being known as a hooligan and putting the well being of others in danger? Think about it, student searches are the key to preserving our schools and community.
Student searches are needed to keep and protect everyone in the school. Like officer Flore says, “Everything I do must fit the U.S. Constitution & VT Constitution and secure the safety of others.” Flore makes a point by supporting student searches because it’s falls under democratic ideal of the common good. According to, “Teen Drug Abuse website,” Illicit teen drug use as of 2003 8th grade -- 30.3%, 10th grade -- 44.9%, 12th grade -- 52.8% those were the results from a school gathering. One of my supporting cases is called New Jersey vs. T.L.O; this case is about these two girls that are caught smoking on the school grounds. Then are brought into the principal office were their bags are searched. What the principal found were a large amount of money, marijuana and a list of people that owed her money for the drugs. Later when this is brought to the court the principal ends up winning the case, not to mention that one of the school rules was that no kids could be smoking on school grounds. Which shows right there that those two girls were already going to get in trouble for breaking one of the schools rules, which gave the principle the right to search them. If the principal hadn’t caught those two girls there could have been many things that could of happen. They could have gone on a rampage for the people that owed them money or they could have just done something bad or stupid from an overdose of marijuana. This case shows a great example of why student searches are needed for schools.

My second argument is that student searches are needed to secure our learning environment. In a case called Washington vs. Chrisman were one night at a campus, a police man is out at a collage, when he spots this boy with a half gallon of milk that was filled with gin. So he goes over to the boy to see if he had identification, what ends up happening is that the boy didn’t have it so they had to go to his dorm and get it. When they get to his dorm the police man stands in the door way were he notices a lot of illegal drugs and so he ask the boys if he could search the room, and if they wanted he would get a warrant. But the boys said no that it was alright so the police man searches them and one of the boys brings it to the court and what ends up happening again was the police man ends up winning. (Opposing Viewpoints) This case is important because it shows a good representation because the police man was on the campus making sure that the students were both safe and he was protecting the schools and also makes the learning environment stay “safe”.

As for the arguments against my side, the arguments are the fact that student searches are a violation to the student’s privacy. My focus case called Safford vs. Redding is a wonderful example for someone’s privacy being invaded. At the same time I do agree with the Supreme Court ruling for that case because the school officials didn’t even have a good probable cause or a good reasonable suspicion. Then the fact that they made it into a strip search I do believe that this was taken too far. Poor Savanna Redding dropped out of school and went to home school because the school violated her privacy. And I understand why they don’t want to do student searches cause of outcomes like this, but you also have to think about it. Like I said before the Safford guidance people didn’t not have much evidence about Savanna and her “drug dealing” of ibuprofen, which was bad on their part. As Bud Allen said at panel day “We chip away (at our rights for convince -out of fear or whatever" when he said this he explained to us that us American are trying to remove the bad stuff out of our lives, but at the same time were not getting anywhere.
Even though our founding fathers made the constitution and said that “The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.” (Find Law: U.S Constitution) They were right when the made this but that was in the old days were people weren’t on the internet finding out how to get high off house hold supplies. Overall people need to know that we can’t have everything and, many people agree with student searches. In order for our world too run proper today some people’s rights are going to be violated in order to keep everyone safe on this planet. It’s like making sure that someone doesn’t bring a bomb on the planes, it violates people privacy to be searched but at the same time its making sure that everyone will be safe and also have the ability to learn in a learning environment.
Lastly for my call to action I would like everyone to imagine and realize how much we will be doing if we start using student searches for the better of our education and lives in school. And that’s why I believe schools should have the ability to search students. When they have a good amount of probable cause, and or a good amount of reasonable suspicion.