No Warrant, No Problem: Students’ Lockers Searched at Random By Drug Dogs
Robby Soave|Nov. 3, 2014 9:10 am
Students at various public schools in West Michigan are subjected to random searches performed by a specialty canine unit that uncovers dangerous contraband in kids’ lockers. Really scary stuff, like hunting gear, pocketknives, fire crackers, prescription medication. Maybe a gun-shaped Pop-Tart or two.
According to mlive.com:
The dogs, which are trained to find drugs, alcohol, gun powder-based products, tobacco and medications, also are used locally in Grandville, Forest Hills, East Kentwood and Byron Center schools among 46 districts across the state. East Grand Rapids uses the city’s public safety department to conduct regular searches on its high school campus.
Records obtained by MLive and the Grand Rapids Press under the Freedom of Information Act show the findings by dogs at area schools are relatively low compared to overall student population, but educators believe the more vigilant they are, the better for students.
The public records request showed the discovery of more than 86 prohibited substances or items at the area schools that have used Interquest since 2011. Alcohol, tobacco and marijuana or drug paraphernalia were the most common finds, but dogs also alerted to fireworks and a toy cap gun among other items banned from school property.
The searches are performed at random, meaning that no single student is ever the target. Administrators hold this up as good and fair—we are trampling your rights, but it’s not personal!—but the ACLU is skeptical.
https://reason.com/blog/2014/11/03/no-warrant-no-problem-students-lockers-s
If you are not doing anything wrong, you have nothing to fear. That was the popular justification for the Patriot Act, right?
Keep in mind school lockers belong to the school not the student.
For a moment forget about the legality of the search.
If you are stupid enough to have drugs in your locker after the search has been announced, then why are you wasting your time in school. Only Darwin can help you.
A student has no expected right to privacy in a school locker, similar to a worker has expected right to privacy in a locker supplied by the village.
Locker searches are not like requiring a blood or urine sample. Any parent with a kid in HS will tell you that ‘commerce’ is conducted in and around schools despite any signs declaring them “drug-free”.