Pubdate: Tue, 24 Feb 2015 Source: Hamilton Spectator (CN ON) Copyright: 2015 The Hamilton Spectator Contact: http://www.thespec.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/181 Note: Viewpoint: Winnipeg Free Press (excerpt) Page: A10 QUEBEC SCHOOL STRIP SEARCH A WARNING The strip search of a Quebec teen at her school for drugs, by school staff, is an unjustified breach of her privacy and assault on her dignity. If school officials can defend such a move to root out a bit of marijuana, searches of body cavities can't be far behind. School boards in Manitoba and elsewhere in Canada ought to take this example of abuse of authority as a lesson in the perils of unchecked arrogance. The stripping of the teen was initially defended by Quebec's government, but now it appears it, too, has recognized the offensive nature of the search. There may be an extreme case in which a strip search is required to protect other students, but this one was far from it. The 15-year-old sent a text to a friend offering to sell drugs - something she said was a joke. She was taken to an office and ordered to disrobe behind a blanket held by one female staff member while another searched her garments, including bra and underwear, for marijuana. No pot was found. Drugs on school property are a problem, generally, but as drugs go, pot is the least of the worries. There were other, more reasonable, ways to deal with the issue. School officials might have called her parents, told her to empty her pockets, her locker and her backpack. School officials have the ability to send a student home for a day if they are still uncertain as to a teen's involvement in alleged misconduct. They can call police for serious misconduct. The Supreme Court has ruled school officials can search students if they have reasonable grounds to believe rules have been broken. This is to protect students, to keep order and discipline so the school is a safe place conducive to learning. That decision, however, was about a principal searching two students, not stripping them. The Quebec City incident shows that for some, young people are too easy a mark. There is a risk of a creeping authoritarianism as the right of students to privacy, especially of their person, is chipped away by an overriding concern for safety, discipline and order. - --- MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom