Supreme Court case about 13 year old gir...olerance school. The case was won 8-1 by the girl, in that the search violated the 4th Amendment to the US Constitution.
The fact this case had to go before the Supreme Court, the fact it had to be made into a constitutional argument, is sad. Super sad.
A number of school boards, including New York City, have banned strip searches for any reason. Rightfully so IMO. I personally don't care if the student had a nuclear weapon hidden in their pants. You do not force minors to take off their clothes for any reason unless you are in a parental (legal guardian) position.
What could be done in situations like this is that the student be detained and the parent/guardian called to come in to deal with the accusation. Justice Clarence Thomas was the only one who agreed that the search was justified. Wow, pretty scummy.
On top of everything, the pills she was suspected of hiding were extra strength Advil. In Canada these are far (far) from prescription medication. I know this may vary wildly in the US, since a couple of months ago when I was in Vegas, some friends had to sign waivers and provide passport identification to buy me some Advil Cold and Sinus as Costco. WTF.
I can't believe how divided some communities are on this issue. I can't believe some people think it's an acceptable practice. I'm sure you'd see a dramatic swing in outrage if the topic were TV Licenses. Sad.
To be honest, I don't know how things would fall out if this had happened in Canada. As an expecting parent, I'll be sure to brush up on these types of laws, but it's already saddening to see a lot of people here in Canada welcoming more and more restrictions and loss of freedoms and rights, just begging for an all-out police state. The saddest part of all is that I believe that in this country, a change to UK-style surveillance and nanny measures (for example) could happen over night and the majority of the populace wouldn't say "boo."
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