So, it took the US Supreme Court to rule against a search of a student suspected of carrying Ibuprofen. In an 8-1 Ruling with Justice Thomas dissenting; finding it legal and that the ruling could backfire making the statement “Redding would not have been the first person to conceal pills in her undergarments”, the Court found that they believe the officials cannot be held liable in a lawsuit. I find that particularly distracting in all of this ethical dilemma I am swimming around in. They do suggest though, that the lower court will have to determine if the school district can be held liable. What seems to be lost upon Justice Thomas is the fact that the student was 13 at the time of the strip search. A strip search. Let me say that one more time; STRIP. SEARCH. Of a 13 year old girl because she had Ibuprofen. I certainly do not believe that liability for the strip search should fall upon just the school district, or at least the district at all; but completely upon the person(s) who permitted the search and performed it. Either you KNOW she has an illegal substance on her person, or you don’t. And performing a search in the attempt to find contraband should be abundantly clear as a violation of ones Constitutional Rights. Not to mention these people were not part of the criminal justice system, they were administrators of education. One that should be instilling respect in their students, instead, they strong armed an impressionable girl into feeling victimized.
I understand that children have changed from when I was a child. The year I left my High School, there was an officer stationed at the school all the time. Until that time, I had never seen an officer on campus for any reason. But unless you are their doctor, or parent trying to remove a leech or fire-ant attack… you have no reason to strip search a person under the age of 18.