The Fourth Amendment to the US Constitution provides protection of all citizens against unreasonable search and seizure. The US Supreme Court has affirmed that the basic purpose of the Fourth Amendment is to safeguard the privacy and security of individuals against unreasonable intrusive searches by governmental officials. Since students possess…

In New Jersey v. T.L.O., the Supreme Court found that students have a right to personal privacy but that school officials need not obtain warrants to conduct searches if suspicion of wrongdoing is reasonable. The authors argue that the Court undervalues privacy and that students' right to privacy should be increased. (MT)

A recent Florida court decision provides an example of a textbook case of an unconstitutionl student search. The key distinction from the "New Jersey vs. TLO" case (a student search found to be constitutional) is that the teacher who searched the students had no reasonable cause. (MD)

Highlights some areas of Fourth Amendment doctrinal inconsistencies in Supreme Court decisions and recommends how these inconsistencies can and should be resolved. Available from School of Law, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon 97403. (Author/IRT)

A Supreme Court ruling of January 1985 reversed a New Jersey Supreme Court decision of March 1984, which found a student search violated the Fourth Amendment. The reversal by the Supreme Court leaves unanswered some important questions about school searches. (MD)

Four federal district court findings on the Fourth Amendment rights of college students. (Editor)

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…

The Supreme Court has issued only one decision on a case involving the rights of public school students to be free from unreasonable searches and seizures. The Court's decision, while resolving the crucial issue of the appropriate standard for assessing student searches, left a number of important questions wholly unanswered. (IAH)

Although the law generally allows administrators to search lockers, this should not be viewed as a carte blanche right. Students do have some ownership rights, particularly with regard to other students. School officials are charged by the state with operating the schools and safeguarding the health, welfare, and safety of students and school…

Issues discussed include the circumvention of the First Amendment's guarantee to free press and the Fourth Amendment's guarantee against improper search and seizure. (Author/MBR)

The U.S. Supreme Court's recent decision in New Jersey vs. T.L.O. suggests the legality of student searches by school officials should not depend on strict adherence to the probable cause standard, but on its reasonableness of suspicion and scope. (DCS)

A review of legal decisions provides thought-provoking considerations for administrators who want to deter drug use on campus. The United States Supreme Court has recognized that even a limited search of students is a substantial invasion of privacy, but also that school officials need to maintain school discipline. Guidelines for the…

This study identifies and analyzes federal and state court cases relating to the rights of students during the period 1960 to 1971. (Editor)

Discusses police-school relations in different situations -- (1) investigations in schools, (2) interrogations of suspects in schools, (3) arrest by police, (4) searches on school property, (5) law violations during school hours, and (6) prosecution of crimes (JF)