Sets out the legal standard to which school officials must adhere in conducting a search of students or their belongings. Offers some suggestions for school newspaper editors regarding their role in seeing that these guidelines are followed. (SR)

In a federal case involving a vice-principal's pat-down search of middle-school students in a cafeteria (for a missing pizza knife), the court upheld the search, saying it was relatively unintrusive and met "TLO's" reasonable-suspicion standards. Principals need reasonable justification for searching a group. (Contains 18 references.)…

In a California case involving a 16-year-old girl's possession of three knives on school grounds, both a trial and Ninth Circuit court affirmed the school vice-principal's right to search and discover these weapons while enforcing a no-smoking policy. The court lectured parents and lawyers for wasting the court's time--especially after a juvenile…

A recent state appellate court decision, "Commonwealth of Pennsylvania versus Cass," suggests that careless or misguided handling of drug searches (especially random drug-sniffing searches) will not hold up in court. Unless advance warnings are provided, administrators should conduct only narrowly focused searches that satisfy…

The Fourth Amendment to the United States Constitution guarantees the right of people to be secure against unreasonable searches and seizures. The privacy of individuals, including students, is therefore protected, but only after considering the interests of society. This simulated case study explores what happens when there is an alleged conflict…

In "New Jersey v. T.L.O." (1985), the U.S. Supreme Court reduced the evidentiary standard applying to search and seizure by school officials from "probable cause" to "reasonable suspicion." However, search of students should be done only when absolutely necessary (for safety or "order" reasons), and a…

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)

This article explores the evolving case law on student searches, in light of the established exceptions to warrant requirements and various circumstances that might uniquely affect school searches. (Author)

Discusses the Supreme Court's findings affecting searches by schools in "New Jersey vs. T.L.O.," reviews earlier school search cases, and explores the factors and circumstances the courts have considered in applying the "reasonableness" standard for assessing when a school's need for maintaining order outweighs a student's…

Answers questions regarding the use of "sniffer" dogs to contend with the problem of student drug abuse. Cites cases that bear on search and seizure operations in schools. (WD)

Presents a 10-question quiz based on court decisions reported from 1977 through 1979. Three areas are covered--student discipline, student searches, and student expression. Answers and explanations are given for each question. (IRT)

Examines legal and ethical ramifications of three roles of school authorities (agents-of-state, custodial, tutelary) legitimated in two Supreme Court decisions: "New Jersey v. T.L.0." (search and seizure) and "Vernonia v. Action" (drug use testing). (Contains 34 references.)(PKP)

Uses combination of legal research, policy analysis, and quantitative research to examine the impact of two Supreme Court decisions, "New Jersey v. T.L.O" and "Vernonia v. Acton," on student Fourth Amendment protection from unreasonable search and seizure. (Contains 1 table, 4 figures, 87 references)(PKP)

In a Georgia case involving a strip-searched class of fifth- graders to locate some missing money ($26), a Federal Court judge concluded the searches were unreasonable. Although students won the constitutionality battle, they lost the war over liability and injunctive relief in a subsequent decision. (MLH)