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Court to hear case of teen strip-searched for ibuprofen

Indy

Indy

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Court to hear case of teen strip-searched for ibuprofen

The justices accepted the case Friday for review. They will decide whether a campus setting gives school administrators greater discretion to control students suspected of illegal activity than police are allowed in cases involving adults in public spaces.
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The case involves Savana Redding, who in 2003 was an eighth-grade honor student at Safford Middle School, about 127 miles from Tucson, Arizona. Earlier that day the vice principal had discovered prescription-strength ibuprofen pills in the possession of one of Redding's classmates. That student, facing punishment, accused Redding of providing her with the 400-milligram pills.

The school has a zero-tolerance policy for all prescription and over-the-counter medication, including the ibuprofen, without prior written permission.

Redding was pulled from class by a male vice principal, Kerry Wilson, escorted to an office and confronted with the evidence. She denied the accusations.

A search of Redding's backpack found nothing. Then, although she had never had prior disciplinary problems, a strip-search was conducted with the help of a school nurse and Wilson's assistant, both females. According to court records, she was ordered to strip to her underwear and her bra was pulled out. Again, no drugs were found.

In an affidavit, Redding said, "The strip-search was the most humiliating experience I have ever had. I held my head down so that they could not see that I was about to cry."
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Absolutely disgusting. This was a sick and twisted use of unchecked power by the principal. No reason for it to find a ****ing ibuprofin.
 
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Indy said:
Absolutely disgusting. This was a sick and twisted use of unchecked power by the principal. No reason for it to find a ****ing ibuprofin.
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Yes it was, and I hope those that did are fired.
 
This school crossed the line. The humiliation and emotional suffering for a strip search far outways any possible benefit for finding an over the counter drug, regardless of whether it is against school rules or not. Minors may not have full rights, but that does not mean they have none at all.

My suggestion to my peers while I was in high school was to simply ignore the teacher if they tried this kind of nonsense, walk straight off campus and cheerfully accept whatever punishment you get for ditching class.
 
I read about this. Talk about an abuse of power. I'm not one to grant minors adult privacy laws, but damn. We're talking about Ibuprophen here, not heroine... and there wasn't even any Ibuphrophen found on the poor kid! Stripping a teenager to her underwear had damned well better garner class A narcotics or weapons; otherwise, the child and her parents have every right to sue the holy hell out of the perverted "educators" who thought stripping and humiliating a young teenager was appropriate behavior.

Absolutely crossed the line. Absolutely.
 
DiAnna said:
Stripping a teenager to her underwear had damned well better garner class A narcotics or weapons; otherwise, the child and her parents have every right to sue the holy hell out of the perverted "educators" who thought stripping and humiliating a young teenager was appropriate behavior.

Absolutely crossed the line. Absolutely.
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I'm surprised they didn't just deny it.
I mean, if they all stood together on it, who would believe the kid?
Except her parents, of course; but who would believe them?

Individuals have little power or credibility when they challenge institutions over isolated incidents... unless said institutions are so stupid they go ahead and admit what they did. :roll:
You'd think the district would have on-staff legal counsel telling them to keep their mouths shut.
 
1069 said:
I'm surprised they didn't just deny it.
I mean, if they all stood together on it, who would believe the kid?
Except her parents, of course; but who would believe them?

Individuals have little power or credibility when they challenge institutions over isolated incidents... unless said institutions are so stupid they go ahead and admit what they did. :roll:
You'd think the district would have on-staff legal counsel telling them to keep their mouths shut.
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Apparently they didn't think they did anything wrong. Which is actually more frightening, when you think about it.
 
Whether they found or did not find anything is, actually, irrelevant to the case. The question is whether or not the school was reasonable in it's procedure in assessing whether or not the girl had the ibuprofen. I support schools searching kids if they have reasonable suspicion that they have drugs or weapons. I'm not sure if the extent that this school went to was appropriate or if, procedurally, they were reasonable. I want to read more about the case before passing ultimate judgment.
 
CaptainCourtesy said:
Whether they found or did not find anything is, actually, irrelevant to the case. The question is whether or not the school was reasonable in it's procedure in assessing whether or not the girl had the ibuprofen. I support schools searching kids if they have reasonable suspicion that they have drugs or weapons. I'm not sure if the extent that this school went to was appropriate or if, procedurally, they were reasonable. I want to read more about the case before passing ultimate judgment.
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According to the article the girl was an honor student, and had a clean record. But they took the word of someone who was in trouble and stripped search this poor girl even after her backpack had been searched with no evidence in sight. They went beyond what even police can do in the same situation to adults. What more do you want?

This was a dispicable act. A 13 year old girl should NEVER EVER be strip searched. At least not without the consent of the parents and or police there also. And from what I can tell they didn't even contact the parents, much less the police.
 
Kal'Stang said:
According to the article the girl was an honor student, and had a clean record. But they took the word of someone who was in trouble and stripped search this poor girl even after her backpack had been searched with no evidence in sight. They went beyond what even police can do in the same situation to adults. What more do you want?
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I understand all that. I am unclear on, procedurally, what they are required to do in these situations. Being outraged does not necessarily equal illegality.

This was a dispicable act. A 13 year old girl should NEVER EVER be strip searched. At least not without the consent of the parents and or police there also. And from what I can tell they didn't even contact the parents, much less the police.
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I do not agree that a 13 year old should never be strip searched. You are speaking in absolutes, and I'm certain there are circumstances that would warrant this kind of search. I am curious as to why her parents were not called and required to be present during the search. This is what I am not certain about...whether, procedurally, the school is required to do this. I'm pretty sure the police are, but I am not sure of the school. Often in these situations, locus parentis (I think that is the legal term) is in place.
 
CaptainCourtesy said:
I understand all that. I am unclear on, procedurally, what they are required to do in these situations. Being outraged does not necessarily equal illegality.
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I'll agree with this.

CaptainCourtesy said:
I do not agree that a 13 year old should never be strip searched. You are speaking in absolutes, and I'm certain there are circumstances that would warrant this kind of search. I am curious as to why her parents were not called and required to be present during the search. This is what I am not certain about...whether, procedurally, the school is required to do this. I'm pretty sure the police are, but I am not sure of the school. Often in these situations, locus parentis (I think that is the legal term) is in place.
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If the parents must be called in for the police why wouldn't a school? As parents they have a right to be informed of anything that is to happen to their kids that is out of the ordinary. Parents also have a right to deny it, unless there is a court order. Not even the police can use a strip search on a minor without the parents/guardians consent or a court order. If it's not allowed to our police who's job is to look for crime and look out for the welfare of civilians why would school officials who are civilians beable to do this? Otherwise it's like giving the school a license to step outside of the law.
 
Kal'Stang said:
I'll agree with this.



If the parents must be called in for the police why wouldn't a school? As parents they have a right to be informed of anything that is to happen to their kids that is out of the ordinary. Parents also have a right to deny it, unless there is a court order. Not even the police can use a strip search on a minor without the parents/guardians consent or a court order. If it's not allowed to our police who's job is to look for crime and look out for the welfare of civilians why would school officials who are civilians beable to do this? Otherwise it's like giving the school a license to step outside of the law.
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I agree with this entirely. There are many reasons the police cannot strip search adults whenever someone accuses another of possessing drugs. Those reasons apply as much to a teenager as they do to an adult, if not more. Another way must be found to reduce teen drug abuse.
 
Urestrained Bullies

"Urestrained Bullies"

The parents could probably seek the DA for assault charges against the VP and nurse.

Hypothetically, what would the police do if a girl were forced to strip at a friends house whose parent decided that it was their responsibility to assure the adolscent did not have ibuprofin they had found in the posession of their own daughter.
 
Why are over the counter pain relievers against the law in public schools anyway.
Between headaches and period cramps, I wouldn't be able to live without acetaminophen and ibuprofen. And I certainly wouldn't have been able to in 8th grade, when I suffered from even worse headaches and period cramps.
Fortunately, my private school had no policy against these things, or at least none that I knew of; I carried them in my purse like any civilized human being, and like a civilized human being, sometimes offered them to friends who were in pain.

Then again, I knew, from a young age, what pain relievers were for and what the appropriate dosage was. Even as a small child- starting at six or seven- I was allowed to climb up on the bathroom counter and help myself to the tylenol if I needed some. I knew to bite the pill in half and only take half.
Why should anyone suffer needlessly from unrelieved pain in a school setting?
 
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CaptainCourtesy said:
Whether they found or did not find anything is, actually, irrelevant to the case. The question is whether or not the school was reasonable in it's procedure in assessing whether or not the girl had the ibuprofen. I support schools searching kids if they have reasonable suspicion that they have drugs or weapons. I'm not sure if the extent that this school went to was appropriate or if, procedurally, they were reasonable. I want to read more about the case before passing ultimate judgment.
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Strip searching by a school nurse and the Vice principal's assistant?

No way. If it's that serious, call the police and have them search her. Are secreteries usually trained in the proper procedure of strip searching students? I'm sure they don't teach strip searching at nursing school.

At least her college will be paid for now.
 
independent_thinker2002 said:
At least her college will be paid for now.
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Although not at any expense to the actual culprits, of course.
At the expense of the school district, aka, the taxpaying citizens.
At the cost of an even lesser education for all the other students.
 
1069 said:
Although not at any expense to the actual culprits, of course.
At the expense of the school district, aka, the taxpaying citizens.
At the cost of an even lesser education for all the other students.
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They could also sue specific individuals.

But you are right, everyone will pay for this.
 
1069 said:
Why are over the counter pain relievers against the law in public schools anyway.
Between headaches and period cramps, I wouldn't be able to live without acetaminophen and ibuprofen. And I certainly wouldn't have been able to in 8th grade, when I suffered from even worse headaches and period cramps.
Fortunately, my private school had no policy against these things, or at least none that I knew of; I carried them in my purse like any civilized human being, and like a civilized human being, sometimes offered them to friends who were in pain.

Then again, I knew, from a young age, what pain relievers were for and what the appropriate dosage was. Even as a small child- starting at six or seven- I was allowed to climb up on the bathroom counter and help myself to the tylenol if I needed some. I knew to bite the pill in half and only take half.
Why should anyone suffer needlessly from unrelieved pain in a school setting?
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Acording to the article the ibuprofen was prescription strength. Not the kind of stuff you can get over the counter.
 
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