The 13-year-old Arizona girl who was strip-searched by school officials took her case all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court. Savana Redding, now 19, was an honors student at Safford Middle School in when she was strip searched in 2003. School officials accused her of providing prescription-strength ibuprofen (the ingredient in Advil) pills.
The school district is appealing a decision that allows Redding to sue. School officials argue the search was reasonable because another student reported that Savana had given her pills. A search of her backpack found nothing, so school officials ordered her to strip down to her underwear, an experience she calls “the most humiliating experience I have ever had.”
Attorneys for the school district argue that “administrators need free reign” to protect students and that “a student tip can be reliable” enough to justify the search.
The court is now trying to clarify student rights involving searches and the discretion of school officials.
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This story provides an excellent example of why DoSomething is an important organization- if more youth are able to get their thoughts across on situations like this, hopefully the wouldn't happen. In any case, to strip search an adult is already questionable- but a 13 year old girl? Sometimes I wonder whether civil liberties really mean anything....
My school use to have metal detectors. If you didn't get all that you had out of your pockets, they would take you into a room and strip search you. I remember they did that to a boy once. I'm not sure if they ever did it again, but I heard that they did.
If it was an adult, maybe I would understand a little bit more. But a 13 year old?? Thats just a baby and what did was very uncalled for.
That is so terrible. There was recently a similar case about another teen who got her birth control pills confiscated in the middle of class because of a "0-tolerance" policy at the school regarding any drugs on campus.
I wonder if it was it a private school or a public school. If it was private than the state cannot get involved but if it is public I think the state has to get involved. Here, a worker for a state institution required that a 13-year old strip in front of an adult; I don't think that should be legal. I agree with leolaurenceau that we need organizations like DoSomething so we don't maintain the "apathetic generation" and in the end lose our own civil liberties. Although on second thought, why do we as a generation need an organization at all? Shouldn't we just ban together from our own moral compassion?