Pubdate: Sun, 04 Nov 2007
Source: Honolulu Advertiser (HI)
Copyright: 2007 The Honolulu Advertiser, a division of Gannett Co. Inc.
Contact:  http://www.honoluluadvertiser.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/195
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/testing.htm (Drug Test)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/youth.htm (Youth)

SCHOOL LOCKER SEARCHES USEFUL, IF USED WITH CAUTION

Nobody likes even the appearance of invading someone's privacy, which 
is what makes the whole debate about searching student lockers 
distasteful to most people.

That's why, while the state school board mulls over its position on 
searches, it's important to consider how far students should expect 
privacy rights to extend once they're on a public school campus.

Clearly, they can't expect their assigned locker space to be 
sacrosanct. It belongs to the school, which should retain the right 
to enter it without the burden of seeking a warrant or otherwise 
showing reason or suspicion.

The challenging part is in how to exercise that right: Locker 
searches could do more harm than good if they're pursued too aggressively.

Part of a school's mission is to prepare a child to be independent; a 
school could easily cripple that mission if it's constantly relaying 
the message that students are untrustworthy.

The school board is going to conduct hearings before adopting a final 
position, and members need to keep ears attuned to ideas about how 
the policy should be defined.

Wisely, the board already drew a bright line barring searches that 
are discriminatory on the basis of race, color, national origin, 
ancestry, sex (including gender identity and expression), religion, 
disability or sexual orientation.

But there are other potential wrinkles to iron out. For example, the 
locker itself may be an extension of the school's public space, but 
the student's private property inside - notebooks, textbooks 
backpacks, gym bags - deserve more consideration. Drug-sniffing dogs 
- - the board also approved their presence on campus - would help 
schools pinpoint the location of drugs without embarking on a random 
search of student possessions.

In addition, the policy should mandate that students be made fully 
aware that the lockers are not their private space. Disclosing to 
students where their rights begin and end is also part of the 
education process that must not be overlooked; it communicates to 
students that they're deserving of respect.

Civil liberties advocates have warned that suspicionless locker 
searches could invite lawsuits. While that's possible, there is 
certainly precedence for such searches in other school districts, Los 
Angeles and Seattle among them.

Like those communities, Hawai'i is coming to the sad conclusion that 
the drug epidemic demands more vigilance than was necessary in simpler times.

Locker searches, like drug tests for teachers, is one tool that 
should be available, but used with extreme caution.
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MAP posted-by: Beth Wehrman