The York Suburban school just
updated their school's policy on strip searches.
Superintendent Michele Merkle repeatedly emphasized there would have to be an imminent threat to the health, safety or welfare of the student being searched or other students in the school.
The idea of this policy is not to bust kids for marijuana. It's to stop terrorism and Columbine, you know?
It would take something major — like the suspicion a student was carrying an explosive device — to warrant a search in which clothing would be removed. Even in an extreme case like that, it might be asking a student to remove a jacket or hoodie, Merkle said.
If you have nothing to hide, right? None of us have known people, at every stage of our lives, who abused their position of power.
I can't imagine these policies being perverted and exploited.
First, the numbers: Law enforcement made 47 sneak-and-peek searches nationwide from September 2001 to April 2003. The 2010 report reveals 3,970 total requests were processed. Within three years that number jumped to 11,129. That's an increase of over 7,000 requests. Exactly what privacy advocates argued in 2001 is happening: sneak and peak warrants are not just being used in exceptional circumstances—which was their original intent—but as an everyday investigative tool.
The York Suburban school is not the first school to do this
nor will they be the last:
In other York County districts the policies vary, according to school board policy documents.
Dallastown Area, for example, adopted the same clothing search language York Suburban just approved. That policy has been in place since 2011.
York City has a "pat down" search policy.
Central York, Spring Grove and Northeastern have policies that allow searches of lockers, vehicles and "personal possessions" of students, though clothing searches are not specifically included.
Red Lion's policy only specifically mentions the search of lockers.
Maybe if we take away kids' civil liberties it won't
feel as bad when they grow up and have none?