Purpose: A factor largely overlooked amid the press for greater security in schools is the extent to which law enforcement participates in search and seizure and the implications such actions carry for student civil liberties. As case law suggests, police engaged in school searches may be held to the probable cause standard or the more flexible…

These guidelines describe areas of concern as indicated by recent litigation, questions received from local school districts, and complaints received from parents and students. They also present, as a frame of reference, the status of current school law where and as it applies to the area of students' rights and responsibilities. The document is…