Supreme Court Hears Case of Strip-Searched Schoolgirl
21 Apr 09 | CSM
It heard arguments Tuesday on whether Arizona school officials violated Fourth Amendment privacy rights in strip-searching a 13-year-old girl.
The lawyer for an Arizona school district was grilled Tuesday by US Supreme Court justices who seemed shocked that a middle school assistant principal would order the strip search of a 13-year-old girl.
But as the hour-long oral argument continued, it also appeared possible that the justices may issue a ruling upholding broad authority for school officials to conduct wide-ranging student searches.
“There is too much at risk here,” said Matthew Wright, lawyer for the Safford Unified School District No.1 in Arizona. “Administrators must act quickly and effectively to keep kids safe.”
The case, Safford Unified School District v. Redding, is being closely watched because it could set new rules nationwide for how far school officials can go in conducting searches of students’ property – and their bodies – while investigating alleged violations of school policies and rules. >>>
