Saffril Redding Case

900 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: ap gov quizlet key supreme court cases

Today, I stand before you in this court to ask that you keep the decision and majority opinion of Justice David Souter, from majority opinion, Safford Unified School District, et al., v. April Redding, U.S. Supreme Court ( June 25, 2009). In Safford Unified School District v. Redding, the question brought to attention is whether or not a strip search is illegal or restricted by the 4th Amendment. In this case, 13 year-old, April Redding, was reported by an acquaintance to the middles school’s assistant principal, Wilson, for supplying classmates with prescription 400mg Ibuprofen and over-the-counter Naproxen; both anti-inflammatory pain killers. Due to the impression that Redding had been distributing such pills, Wilson, with the approval of Redding, searched her personal possessions. Wilson and an administrative assistant, Helen Romero, went through Redding’s backpack seeking to find pills. They did not find anything, so Wilson asked Romero to escort Redding to the nurse’s office so that she could be further searched. The nurse and Romero asked her to slip out of her clothes. This included Redding having to remove her bra to shake it so that any pills would fall out; as well as pulling the elastic from her underpants for the same purpose. Still, no pills were identified. During this event, Redding’s mother was never contacted or informed of what had been happening. Redding’s mother filed suit against the school district, claiming that her daughter’s 4th amendment rights had been violated due to the unlawful search that was conducted. Wilson, Romero, and the school nurse were all granted with qualified immunity by the court, which meant they were somewhat protected from liabilities. Even though the court found there was no vio... ... middle of paper ... ...ecially when the strip search took place. Also, as the call to the police was made New Jersey v. T.L.O., the police should have been contacted in Safford Unified School District v. Redding. School administrators should know their boundaries of their ability, which is not in law enforcement, it is in education. Again, I request that you keep the decision of Justice David Souter, from majority opinion, Safford Unified School District, et al., v. April Redding, U.S. Supreme Court ( June 25, 2009), because Redding’s 4th amendment rights were violated, particularly since there was never enough evidence. I agree with Justice David Souter and I feel there should never be a time where middle school students are strip searched in the aim of finding drugs because it is prohibited by the 4th amendment. If there is a suspicion of such incident, the police should be involved.

Show More
Related

  • Elementary School Case Study: Frugis V. Bracigliano

    1190 Words  | 3 Pages

    (Frugis v. Bracigliano, 2003). The judges in this case needed to determine of Elmwood Park Board of Education was at all responsible for this act due to lack of supervision of Bracigliano (Frugis v. Bracigliano, 2003). The facts of the case explain that Bracigliano obstructed views into his office as soon as he became the principal in 1982, which was against a New Jersey law that required every room used by school staff to have a view into it (Frugis v. Bracigliano, 2003). During his tenure as principal a state inspector ordered that the covering be removed, which it was, but only temporarily (Frugis v. Bracigliano, 2003). The School Board was aware that the covering was ordered to be removed by the state inspector, but they never verified that it had in fact been removed (Frugis v. Bracigliano, 2003). Staff members were also aware that students frequently visited Bracigliano’s office, the door was locked, and pictures were taken when the students were in there (Frugis v. Bracigliano, 2003). Several staff members also witnessed Bracigliano doing inappropriate things to students, but they were unaware of the procedure to report these acts and, therefore, the acts went unreported to Bracigliano’s superiors (Frugis v.

    Read More

  • Vernonia School District V. Acton (1996)

    1761 Words  | 4 Pages

    ... is one that a reasonable guardian and tutor might undertake.” And he concluded that given the mission of public schools, and the circumstances of this case, the searches required by the school board's policy were “reasonable” and thereby permissible under the Constitution's 4th Amendment.

    Read More

  • New Jersey Vs. T.L.O.

    311 Words  | 1 Pages

    Decision : Reasonable standard held to be proper standard for determining       legality of searches conducted by public school officials.

    Read More

  • Vernonia School District V. Acton

    1088 Words  | 3 Pages

    The Supreme Court had to decide on the question of, does random drug testing of high school athletes violate the reasonable search and seizure clause of the Fourth Amendment? According to the Fourth Amendment, "The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.

    Read More

  • Case Study: Marvin Pickering Case

    1447 Words  | 3 Pages

    Board of Regents (1967). The teacher’s interest as a citizen in making public comment must be balanced against the State’s interest in promoting the efficiency of its employees’ public services. The court found the statements of the appellant were substantially correct, regarded matters of public concern, and presented no questions of faculty discipline or harmony. The statements offered no proper basis for the school board’s action in dismissing the appellant (Oyez, n.d.).

    Read More

  • Safford V. Redding Case

    2358 Words  | 5 Pages

    Redding became a starting case against unconstitutional searches of students where a girl had her backpack searched in the assistant principal 's office. After the official searched her bag, the school nurse’s office was her next destination, so the nurse and the administrative assistant could search her clothes and instructed her to shake out the elastic of her bra and underwear (Carpenter 86-87). The tragic part about this case is that it is not the first or final time a similar event has occurred. In the case of Jane Doe, “...or so she was called in this case…”, a student of a high school in Little Rock, Arkansas filed a case against her school (Dowling-Sendor 46). Dowling-Sendor tells of how the school regularly conducted searches of book bags and purses, and police officials would take any contraband found. Then any items found would become evidence for a prosecution (46). When school officials searched Jane’s bag, they recovered a container full of Marijuana, and its purpose was to convict Jane Doe on a drug misdemeanor charge. After being charged with this, Jane appealed to the 8th circuit because the District Court first dismissed her case. The court ruled in her favor in a two to one decision, claiming the search caused a violation of her rights. She had every reason to win because school officials search students at this school on a regular basis, and it is

    Read More

  • Canada’s Charter of Rights and Freedoms

    1059 Words  | 3 Pages

    One of the Legal Rights the Charter of Rights and Freedoms protects is: The right to be free of imprisonment, search, and seizure without reasons backed by the law. “In a undisclosed school in Canada, there was a sudden police checking, in which police dogs roamed around the hallway of the school to see if there was any suspicious substance or object. During the checking, the police fo...

    Read More

  • Earls Case Study

    1363 Words  | 3 Pages

    In the Earls vs. Board of education the violation of Fourth Amendment of the US Constitution was mentioned. The Fourth Amendment of the US Constitution states the “right of people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures” .When Lindsay Earls was forced to perform a drug test at her school, the school violated her privacy rights. By law children and teens under the age of 18 are forced to attend school, therefore when Lindsay was a minor she didn’t have a choice. The school doesn’t represent a reasonable reason in order to have performed the drug test. Lindsay was an extraordinary student participating in many extracurricular activities such as Choir, National Honor Society, marching band and an academic team. Drug testing in schools is not required because it shows no improvement to the school, it takes away money from the school for each drug test performed, the drug test aren’t always correct, and drug testing can actually cause emotional trauma on students.

    Read More

  • Vernonia V. Acton Case Study

    595 Words  | 2 Pages

    In Vernonia v. Acton, the issue in question is the school’s ability to drug test student-athletes. In the mid 80’s, the Vernonia School District noticed an uptick in drug use, and more so from athletes. Furthermore, the football and wrestling coach cited several situations that he felt drug-use was causing the athletes to be unsafe. Thus, the school instituted a mandatory drug test for all student athletes prior to the season, and then weekly random drug testing. If a student-athlete failed a test, they would have the choice of joining a rehab program, or serving a suspension. Suspension from school was never an option, nor were the results reported to authorities. Results were reported to the superintendent, athletic director, and other personnel on a need to know basis only (Vernonia v. Acton, 1995).

    Read More

  • Most Important Supreme Court Cases Related to Education

    975 Words  | 2 Pages

    (1) On May 17th, 1954, the Supreme Court made a decision that would mark a defining moment in the history of the United States. This decision declared “separate but equal” unconstitutional. It was ultimately unanimous, and occurred after a long, sought out campaign to convince all nine justices to overturn the “separate but equal” doctrine that had been sanctioned in the infamous 1896 Plessy v. Ferguson case. The legal path paved in various aspects of racial discrimination in public life has been the equal protection clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. Section I states “no State shall . . . deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws” (Schimmel, Stellman and Fischer 312) At one point in time, it was determined actions by public officials and employees are state actions because public schools are state institutions. This is where Plessy v. Ferguson established separate but equal facilities meet the clause of the amendment. Between the two major cases in 1896 and 1954, there have been a number of lawsuits challenging the separate but equal principle. This case being discussed as the first influential case in the history of education in the United States is Brown vs. Board of Education. Brown was not the only case to push for a change, but rather one of five lawsuits against school districts. Because of the successful lawsuits challenging the doctrine in graduate and professional schools, it was possible for these other cases to step forward. In this case, the court recognized what important function of state and local governments education had become. They realized how education is the foundation on which good citizenship lies. Rejecting Plessy v. Ferguson, the Court determined “separate but equal” he...

    Read More

  • Drug Testing Student Athletes

    755 Words  | 2 Pages

    Some may say that drug testing students is unconstitutional because it is an “invasion of privacy”. This, however, is not true. . . “In 1995, the United States Supreme Court ruled that drug testing for high school athletes was constitutional, and some districts expanded their policies to include middle schools.” I believe allowing schools to drug test athletes was a very positive thing. For many reason, but mainly because athletes who are on drugs have a higher risk of being injured. For example a kid who is on drugs and plays a sporting event has a greater risk of their heart stopping on the field or court. “Drug tests analyze bodily samples such as urine, blood, or hair to detect the presence of legal and illegal drugs.” The most common one is urine testing. I believe urine testing is the best way for high school students, because it does not take as long as some other tests and it is not as costly as other tests. This is especially important because obviously a school does not want to spend money on anything they do not have to. Our school does randomly drug test students every once in a while but only a few of the athletes are chosen to take the test so that really is not helping ...

    Read More

  • Persuasive Essay On School Searches

    848 Words  | 2 Pages

    Yes, I do know that even with school searches people bring all types of things on to school campus no matter if they get caught or not. I feel as if the students do have the right to refuse if they are searched or not because the fact of them being a minor and the fact that as a kid we get into places where we don't always know the right answer or way to go so we agree to things we might not understand. I also feel that if law enforcement has to have probable cause the school bored should have probable cause as well. " school officials.... are not required to advise students that they have a right to refuse consent to search .... or rise discipline." (Ellenberger 32) Some schools have all different policy's and rules to telling students their rights to refusing anything because they are dealing with more minors then with legal adults. Secondly, many parents get concerned about their children being in schools that don't have searches. " Parents and students fear that they will be in class with other students who are under the influence." (Robison) The parents and students feel that having school searches will help eliminate the drug and alcohol use in or during school hours. Lastly, most school bored are just looking for a safe environment for their students and staff to come to for eight

    Read More

  • Are Schools Safe?

    747 Words  | 2 Pages

    All schools that have locker searches let the students know that it is policy if the student isn't hiding anything then there shouldn't be an issue. 77% of most kids would be happier and 55% would learn more if schools where safer. Keeping kids safe is what it's all about; no one is talking about strip searches, it's just open you locker, open your bag and be on your way. American public schools are not safe, and need to have greater security measures to ensure the students safety; our country should not have to live through another Columbine.

    Read More

  • Dress Code Research Paper

    1431 Words  | 3 Pages

    Dress codes and uniforms have been deemed legal by the United States Supreme Court. As long as the dress code or uniform regulations pass a four-pronged test. Opposition for school uniforms holds fast to preserving the sanctity of freedom of speech. The supreme court ultimately has decided that dress codes and uniforms do not violate the freedom of speech. In Harold W. Mitchell and John C. Knechtle’s study of the first amendment rights and dress code, they note that in 1968 in Ginsberg v. New York the supreme court ruled that “[t]he state has power to control the conduct of children that reaches beyond its scope of authority over adults (491).” Mitchell and Knechtle go further into explaining the 4 pronged rule the supreme court uses to judge if a rule is against the freedom of

    Read More

  • The Power of Rational Decision Making

    1454 Words  | 3 Pages

    “Board of Education of Westside Community Schools v. Mergens”, (1990) – June 4. 496 U.S. 226 (1990). (USSC+). The decision is available at: http://www. Supet.law.cornell.edu and at http://www. caselaw.findlaw.com

    Read More

More about Saffril Redding Case

Open Document