Aed 200 Student Locker Searches Without Permission

Student Locker Searches without Permission
AED 200
February 3, 2013
Maria Cuba

Student Locker Searches without Permission Today across America there are drugs being sold at school, students have brought weapons to school. There have been too many school shootings and too many lives lost. It is the schools right to search any locker, student and any student property without a search warrant, but the school must have reasonable grounds for believing that a student is in possession of evidence of a violation of a law or school rule (Pearson Education, Inc, 2005, p. 227). This brings up questions about the Fourth Amendment which protects individuals from search without a court ordered warrant. This does pertain to schools and student but if the school has reasonable cause they may search the students’ property and it will be held in court. As a teacher, it is my responsibility to report any suspicious behavior or anything that I have heard to the Principal. From there the Principal will decide what course of action is going to take place. I have an obligation to my other students to keep them safe and this means turning a student in for acts that violate school rules or the law. If I had to conduct a search of one of my students I would do it while class was in session with another teacher present and the student. I do not think searching a locker when other students can witness will be good for anyone. This is an issue between the school and the student. I think it is the students’ right to be present for the search, so they know and see what they did or did not find, also to make sure that everything is put back and accounted for. There have been drugs brought to school, weapons, this is a place that is supposed to feel safe, an environment that is supposed to help support our students and help them grow up and educate them. If students do not feel safe their school work is going to suffer. If random searches are necessary and help the students to have a piece of mind, then I am all for this. Not everyone or every student is going to agree but too many lines have been crossed and if the student doesn’t have anything to hide then it should be fine. Lockers are technically school property. They are there for convenience. The schools allow the students to store their items in the lockers and if something suspicious is reported then I feel the school has every right to check. If a student brings in drugs, weapons or other items that are illegal or banned from school then I feel as the student has given up their right. They know it’s wrong or illegal but they did it anyway. Students knowing that the school can and will do locker searches are less likely to bring such items into the school for fear of getting caught. While I was a senior in high school we had the police come in with dogs and search the lockers. The dogs smelled several lockers that contained marijuana and other drugs. This was the first time in my education that this happened. My locker was searched because I was right next to one of the students who had drugs in his locker. I had stopped using my locker so I could avoid this group of kids. I ended up sharing a locker with a friend. We were shocked but not surprised this happened to these certain students. Drugs were becoming an issue at the school. There were several parents that were outraged because they felt it was a violation to privacy and what next; the school would be doing cavity searches to all the students. I thought that was bit unrealistic. I was glad this finally happened. These students made me very uncomfortable and I didn’t feel safe with them around. I hated having any classes with some of them. I had nothing to hide and I didn’t think it mattered most of us only had some books, old food containers and a jacket or some other items. Five students that day were suspended that day and two were arrested because they were already on probation. It was scary because once the students came back, would they be really mad, how would they react? I remember our teacher talking to us about what happened and he wanted our view on it. Most of the students were for it, we knew what was going on and this group of kids we didn’t feel safe around. Mostly we were surprised it didn’t happen sooner. Our teacher told us that while school is in session, we are his and every other teachers’ responsibility. He is responsible for teaching us and keeping us safe. If that means that he needs to turn in a student for doing something wrong then he would do it again. With the school shootings and everything else that has been happening in schools I feel that randomly searching lockers is the least of our problems. Our children deserve to go to school and be safe. They deserve to have the best education we can offer and sometimes students don’t always make the best decisions. As teachers we need to be there to guide them along and help them grow to become well rounded and productive members of society.

Reference Pearson Education, Inc. (2005). Introduction to the Foundations of American Education, Thirteenth Edition, Retrieved from University of Phoenix, AED 200.