Reply to Searching kids’ bags at APS

Forum Index » VA Public Schools other than FCPS

Reply to "Searching kids’ bags at APS - question"

Subject:

Emoticons





More smilies

Text Color: Font: Close Marks

[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]There was a gun threat in 3rd grade at Escuela Key last year and the administration took the position that they couldn't search kids' bags because of privacy concerns.[/quote]

Interesting. My kid’s bag got searched on suspicion that someone in the classroom had something disruptive (my understanding is that they searched everyone’s stuff until they found the item - it is entirely possible the teacher requested permission to conduct the search - I can’t imagine my kid would feel comfortable saying no). I’m actually ok with it as long as the kids are aware that bags are subject to search at all times, assuming that’s the policy. [/quote]
so let’s play this out, what do you think your kid would do differently if they thought their bags be searched at any time?[/quote]

For starters, he would make sure not to pack his Taylor Swift poster and super-secret diary in his school bag.[/quote]

In all seriousness, though, if we’re going to strip kids of their right to privacy they need to be on notice that they have no expectation of privacy when they enter the building.[/quote]

I mean the Supreme Court has ruled on this in 1984. Students have a reduced expectation of privacy at school. Schools may search students things if they have a reasonable suspicion. Lockers are basically a free foe all because they are considered school property.

Anyway there is established law on this. I don't know if APS or VA has more restrictive policies.

https://www.youthrights.org/issues/student-rights/search-and-seizure/#:~:text=Personal%20belongings&text=T.L.O.%20(US%20Supreme%20Court%2C%201985,of%20privacy%20when%20in%20school.[/quote]

A reasonable suspicion of “what” is my question. My kid’s bag was searched because somebody did something obnoxious and they wanted to figure out which kid did it. There was no weapon or stolen goods or drugs or the type of thing you’d typically think of when you hear kids were searched. I’d like to be able to tell my kid if there are any instances when he has the right to object to a bag search.[/quote]

God bless our teachers.  With everything else they are dealing with, they also have to deal with parents like the above poster.  They really aren’t paid enough to put up with this kind of stuff.[/quote]

You’re kidding, right? You don’t think kids should know their rights in school? It’s a fair question to ask whether searches are permissible when there’s no suspicion of a weapon or drugs. If teachers are allowed to do spot checks whenever they please, kids should know that. And if there are limits to when searches are permissible, they should know that too. How is educating our kids on this topic even remotely offensive to teachers?[/quote]

If OP wants reliable info, they can call their kid’s school.  If they want their kid to potentially object to a teacher’s request, it seems like the info of internet strangers isn’t the right source.[/quote]

Ok, so let’s play that out. She calls the school. What if it turns out the search in question isn’t proper? Now she’s almost certain to lodge a formal complaint because she’s gone to the trouble of contacting the school. Don’t see how that helps anyone, especially if she was motivated to ask the question more by curiosity rather than outrage. It should be common knowledge of all parents and students if/when searches are permitted. The fact that nobody could give a definitive answer with confidence is it’s own interesting data point. None of this is antagonistic to teachers.[/quote]

But in your example, if she’s asking out of mere curiosity, then no, she’s not lodging a formal complaint.

I think this whole scenario is crazy.[/quote]

Options

	Disable HTML in this message
	Disable BB Code in this message
	Disable smilies in this message

Review message

Search Recent Topics Hottest Topics