The Importance Of Random Searches In Schools

“It must always be remembered that what the Constitution forbids is not all searches and seizures, but unreasonable searches and seizures” (Stewart). Random searches of students are permitted by the Constitution and need to be allowed. The court case of T.L.O. v. New Jersey proved that searches in the school setting are both permissible and reasonable. The case represents students as a whole and shows that they are not above accountability, and school faculty members are in a position to act as the guardians of the students. Random searches of students on school grounds are reasonable and necessary because of the nature of adolescents. Teenagers, though they have almost crossed the threshold into adulthood, are still immature and irresponsible. Ergo, they need to be treated accordingly. In 2002, forty-one percent of
The Fourth Amendment states, “The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizure, shall not be violated” (Fourth). Searches within schools are constituted as reasonable. It is absolutely necessary that privacy is limited in the school setting for the benefit of everyone present on the school campus. An absence of searches in schools welcomes the continuation of violence and misdemeanors. Horrific events such as the Columbine High School Shooting do not have to continue to occur, and people do not have to die if weapons are found before a massacre takes place (Columbine). “In the United States in 2001, 6.6 percent of students reported missing one or more days of school in the last thirty days because they believed it was too unsafe at school or going to and from school” (Violence). The fear of facing violence in a learning environment is far too common, which is why the privacy limitations accompanying searches of students are