Policy Analysis: Locker Searches In Public Schools

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Policy Analysis Paper Locker Searches “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” (Fourth Amendment). I chose to review locker searches in public schools and whether or not school officials have the right to search a student’s locker. The one thing that I have found in each case or text regarding locker searches is that the search has to have been conducted because of “reasonable suspicion”. Also, the term reasonable can be interpreted many different…show more content…
This case involved a student who was believed to have been “high” at school. The assistant principal had been informed by another student that the accused student was “high”. The informant had told administrators on previous occasions about student drug use. The assistant principal then took the accused student to the nurse who stated that she believed that the accused student was not “high”. Despite this statement from the nurse the assistant principal believed that the student was “high” because he had “red and bloodshot eyes”. The principal then had the school officer search the accused students body which turned up no drugs. They then decided to search the student’s locker, they asked the student if he had drugs in his locker, he stated no, upon arriving at his locker the student admitted to having brass knuckles in the locker. The search did in fact turn up the brass knuckles but no drugs. The accused student and parents sued the district for violating his 4th Amendment Rights. The trial court denied the motion, and the defendant then took the matter to the Court of Appeals of Texas, Eighth District, El Paso. The court ruled in favor of the district that they did not violate the students 4th Amendment Rights. The court of appeals then concluded that the subsequent search of the locker was…show more content…
State of Wisconsin. In this case the Wisconsin Supreme Court ruled, 5 to 2, that officials at Madison High School in Milwaukee had acted legally in 1990 when they searched lockers for guns after the principal had heard rumors that a shootout was planned at the school. In an opinion by Justice Donald Steinmetz, four

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