When 13 year old Savana Redding was accused of bringing Advil with the intention of sharing it with her friends at their zero-tolerance middle school in 2003, school officials searched her backpack, outer clothing, and ultimately strip searched her. The U.S. Supreme Court decided on June 25, 2009, that a strip search in an effort to locate "nondangerous school contraband" went beyond the reasonable standard established by the fourth amendment. The ruling says that school officials should have realized:
- the pills were common pain relievers,
- even if taken, the pain relievers had a "limited threat",
- Savana did not have a large quantity, and
- there were no indications that Savana hid anything in her underwear.
The court did not rule that strip searches are illegal, but they did set a higher standard for dangerous contraband as a reason for subjecting a student to a search that is, "embarrassing, frightening, and humiliating."
The 8-1 decision had one dissenter, Justice Clarence Thomas, who warned against tampering with a school's authority over health and discipline issues.
Comments
Of course Clarence Thomas has no problems with a 13-year-old girl being strip-searched without any phone call to her parents first. When it comes to humiliation and disrespect of women, he has no boundaries. I would call him a pig, but it would be an insult to pigs everywehre.
wow there is a reason to be searched but they should of called her parents to see if it was ok
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