School Districts Need to Keep a Wary Eye on Upcoming Supreme Court Ruling

The Supreme Court is about to create a smoldering crisis for every school district in the country, no matter which way it rules.

A girl in Safford, Arizona, Middle School was 13 when she was accused of having drugs at school. A nurse and administrative assistant, both female, forced her to completely strip, searching for contraband in her underwear. (http://www.kansascity.com/444/story/1154764.html) No one even searched her backpack or locker. They were just interested in her dainties. The accusation came from a lone student, claiming Savana Redding had the drugs hidden in her underwear. The drugs they were seeking: ibuprofen. Nothing was found. An appellate court ruled that the search violated Redding's Fourth Amendment rights against unreasonable search and seizure. Redding filed a lawsuit against assistant principal Kerry Wilson, a case that is awaiting the outcome of the Supreme Court decision. I suspect if she wins the pending case that her lawyers will go after the school district as well.

This brings back memories of my high school journalism days. But I tackled "meaty" issues like class rank and how the homecoming queen was selected. I never got to sink my teeth into anything this controversial. I would have been all over it. The Supreme Court justices are on both sides of the fence. Conservative justices say that such searches are justified to keep drugs and weapons out of schools. Others are saying that the strip search was unreasonable. School officials were looking for "aspirin" based on the accusations of a single student.

I hope they rule in favor of the girl, who now is a student at Eastern Arizona College. What do you think? Unless there was overwhelming evidence she was packing heat in her drawers or illegal drugs to sell, this goes too far. The dilemma for school districts is this: If the Supreme Court rules in her favor, schools probably will remain unsure about the gray area of when searches are constitutional, which leads to crises waiting to happen. If it rules in favor of the school, I would be wary of more strip searches, which will lead to more crises for schools. A student who dislikes another can claim he or she said there were drugs in the pants or a knife in the bra: strip search. A member of the faculty or staff who wants a peak at a same-sex student can make a false accusation: strip search. These vindictive bullies and pedophiles will be protected by the Supreme Court, even though that doesn't mean the court of public opinion will be as supportive.

Either way, this will continue to be a potential crisis for school districts. They should be watching this ruling carefully, and then develop a crisis communications scenario around, "What if it happens here?" The response, audiences, and messages might be similar to your plan for a student/teacher sexual relationship that hits the news. Schools: know what you're going to say and to whom you will say it. And never think that it never can happen here.