Considers how school officials face the delicate task of balancing a student's individual right to Fourth Amendment protection against their duty to provide a safe and secure environment for all students--a major challenge in cases involving intrusive searches. Discusses recent developments involving intrusive searches, previous court rulings…

Public employee status in relation to office privacy has not been clarified by the recent Supreme Court decision in "O'Conner v. Ortega." The 1986 Handicapped Children's Protection Act's provision allowing courts to award attorney fees to parents who win cases on administrative rights is ambiguous. The implications for schools are…

Reviews court cases related to search of students and extracts guiding principles administrators can use to reconcile the students' legitimate privacy interests with the educational necessities of the school. (JM)

Presents divergent opinions of Justice Sandra Day O'Connor (for the plurality), Justice Antonin Scalia, and Justice Harry Blackmun in the Supreme Court decision to return the case of "O'Connor v. Ortega" (questioning the constitutionality of searching a public employee's office) to the district court. O'Connor rejected the notion that…

Discusses how to determine whether a school-related search is reasonable. Suggests 10 guidelines to avoid suits over illegal searches. Recommends that school authorities exercise extreme care to protect themselves against suits alleging Constitutional violations. (MS)

In 1985, the United States Supreme Court, in "New Jersey v. T.L.O.," held that the Fourth Amendment applies to searches and seizures conducted by public school administrators. This paper discusses the current state of Fourth Amendment law with regard to public school searches and seizures. Among the subtopics discussed are the following:…

Provides an edited version of the Supreme Court opinions in "TLO v New Jersey." Includes an article delineating the new rules on student searches that have resulted from the court decision. A third article discusses questionable areas the Court decision left unclear. (MD)

This monograph attempts to provide clear understanding of the standards presented by the Supreme Court in "New Jersey v. T.L.O." relative to search and seizure in public schools, and suggests practical ways of applying search and seizure law to situations in the school setting. ("T.L.O." are the initials of the anonymous…

The Fourth Amendment protects an individual's justified expectations of privacy against unreasonable government intrusions; however, reasonable intrusions are allowed when legitimate governmental interests are served. This volume is intended to provide guidelines for school administrators on how to conduct searches and seizures in a manner…