Do schools have the right to search student's lockers?

Topic:
Education Debates

39 Contributors
in this discussion.

Yes
62% of users
  • Schools have a right to search students' lockers, if they have reasonable cause, in order to protect everyone at the school.

    Seeing as lockers are technically part of school property, they can retain the right to search them. That said, I think it is terrible for student morale, and should only be implemented for very compelling reasons. If the student poses a threat to him/herself or others, then a locker search is warranted.

    Yes ExoticCurt
  • I do believe schools have the right to not only search a locker, but I also feel they should be able to search the student.

    Schools have an obligation not only to teach our kids, but to also keep them safe. The more proactive schools are, the less incidents there will be, and children will learn that they cannot get away with things. Tragedies can be avoided. If the school turns a blind eye, then I think they should, and more than likely will, be held accountable.

    Yes 5h4bbyHaIey
  • Must have a reason

    A locker is the schools property. They are provided for the student's convenience. However, students also keep private things in their locker that they dont always want the rest of the world to see. The administration cant just go sticking their noses in students business whenever they feel like it. They have to have a good reason and they have to tell the student their reason before they go through the students belongings. The police cant come into your home unless they have a search warrant and its the same situation here.

    Yes Anonymous
  • Dont belong to us

    We might keep out stuff in our lockers, but they belong to the school. We shouldnt be keeping anything in them that would be harmfull anyways. im 15 and would let anbody serch my locker if needed.

    Yes Anonymous
  • it will keep us safe!

    random searching of school lockers and cars on school prperty can keep us all safe from the crazy people who want to bring knifes and other weappons on to schools grounds and the use of drug dogs can keep some stupid person from bringing a illegal narcotic on to school property and giveing it to another student causeing tem to have a allergic reaction and possibly die

    Yes Anonymous
  • Lockers are school property.

    You do not buy that lockers that are provided to you at the beginning of the school year. It is for putting book and educationaly things in it so that you can keep your BOOKS safe. When the principal allows a police to have locker searches, it is under the principals control wether or not you can get your locker search or not because the lockers are school property, so it is only fair that that do locker searches for both the safety of the school, and the safety of the students and the enviroment they are in around them

    Yes Anonymous
  • The student has no rights in schools

    The student is there at the school to learn, and if there is something in the student's locker stopping the process of learning then administration can go through the student's locker. however the schools should provide more security from other students.

    Yes Anonymous
  • Yes, to protect the safety of the students and their peers

    Some students have been arrested for being in the possession of illegal drugs, chemicals, knifes, and dangerous firearms. The National Education Association estimates that 100,000 students bring firearms to school every day and forty of those students are harmed because of it. The benefit of these searches, discourage other students from bringing illegal or dangerous objects to a safe environment. Locker checks will make more students obey school policies in the future and will reduce the risk of school shootings and other dangers. Students will not know when these searches will be therefore they will not bring anything hazardous to school. Teachers may take precautions if they feel that a student may be in the possession of a weapon.

    Yes Anonymous
  • Yes, for the sake of the the students and teachers the heve the right.

    the school ie in responsible for the students and yeacher's safety. I know if my mama r god mothe rget hurt on there jod my dad an godfather ars going to sue the child and the school so they should have the right to do what ever they need to do to keep the & teachers sefe.

    Yes Anonymous
  • Yes, the lockers are school property, thay have the right.

    students do not owne the lockers. if thay have anything in there thay should'nt thay should get in more truble than if thay had sumthing in there owne car. The lockeres relly are state property.

    Yes Anonymous
  • For the sake of the safety of all the children attending a school, it should be legal for school administration to search students' lockers.

    A school is responsible for the safety of the children who attend. In extreme circumstances, it may be important to the students' safety to search lockers. The school should have the right to do this while still maintaining discretion for privacy and confidentiality.

    Yes Mo2esDonaId
  • Yes, if, like with all other laws, there is just cause for them doing it.

    I think if there is a reasonable amount of suspicious behavior exhibited by a child at school, the authorities there should be able to search their locker. School children shouldn't be immune to the laws of search and seizure because they are underage. Unfortunately, these days, we all have to be vigilant everywhere. If a kid has something in their locker that could cause harm to himself or to others and there is just cause to open the locker and take a look, then that is what should happen.

    Yes PinkMych
  • In this day and age, they need to search lockers.

    In order to protect the minority, schools may need to embarrass or even infringe upon the rights of the minority. There is too much violence in school, far too many drugs and I do not want my child running around in an environment that ties the hands of the people who would be trying to protect her. It is a small sacrifice to search private property.

    Yes MarsBIue
  • Schools, whether public or private, should have the right to search student lockers. Student personal rights are superseded by school safety and school administrators have an obligation to clear dangerous items from the property.

    Students are at school to learn, and since schools are a communal environment providing a service, students personal rights are superseded by the safety of the student body. Also, school lockers are property of the school it is in. School administration has an obligation to search lockers of students suspected of harboring dangerous items such as guns or drugs. Students should be made aware that school lockers are the property of the school and are subject to search without notice.

    Yes KourtneyB
  • Lockers are the property of the schools and are only rented by students.

    School lockers are not the property of the students; students rent them from the school. Since the lockers are the property of the schools, schools should have every right to conduct arbitrary searches on students' lockers whenever they feel it is necessary to protect the school environment and promote the advancement of education. Schools are a place of education first and foremost and any activity to the contrary is subject to school policy and regulations.

    Yes R0m4nticCar
  • The locker's are the property of the school so yes they should be able to search them if needed.

    I am sorry to say that in today's world it is necessary to sometimes search locker's in schools today for the safety of students and teacher's. There have been to many cases of students bringing weapon's to school and using them to hurt and even kill other students and teachers. So yes the locker is only given to the student to use while in school and it does belong to the school so yes they can search it if they need too.

    Yes 5h4rkEmar
  • I believe schools have the right to search student's lockers only when probable cause to believe violence is involved.

    Schools should have the right to search a student's locker if there is good reason to suspect that a violent crime is immanent and could be prevented by such a search. I do not believe the school has the right to search a student's private property for any other reason, and certainly not without probable cause to do so.

    Yes Wynn354
  • I believe that schools have the right to search a students locker if they have sufficient reason.

    If a school possesses sufficient evidence that a student is using their locker to store contraband then it should have the power to search the locker. If the school doesn't have the power to search lockers then more devious students may use it to their advantage by storing dangerous or illegal items that could undermine safety in the school.

    Yes J Navarro 62
  • I think schools do have the right to search school lockers.

    History can teach us a lot of important lessons. One of these is that schools must be able to search lockers, put in metal detectors, etc. It is simply a matter of the safety of the students and faculty. Columbine and Virginia Tech. are prime examples of why this right remains with schools.

    Yes esmond10
  • A locker provided by the school is not private property and their for not subject to laws protecting it's privacy.

    When a student goes to school and is assigned a locker, the space is not bought or given to them and there is no contract implied by it's use. While they are free to use, or not use, it as they please they do not have explicit owner ship of the space. So, the searching of said space is at the discretion of the owner. That being the school.

    Yes R0II4Icy
  • Schools do have the right to search student's lockers because the lockers are the property of the school.

    Searching a student's locker is not a violation of privacy because the locker is the property of the school. Students do not have an expectation of privacy in regards to a locker. It belongs to the school and the school can use it as they wish. Since it is the property of the school; they can search it whenever they wish. The student has no rights regarding lockers or anything else that is on the school's property.

    Yes VasilBuddy
  • Schools should be able to search a student's locker to help maintain the school's safety.

    Schools should have the ability to search student's lockers to help ensure the safety of all the students at that school. School's should use discretion and not go overboard with it (i.e. having a random search of every student's locker once a month would be way too much) but ultimately if there is a threat of a possible weapon or possible drugs in a student's locker the schools should be able to verify this.

    Yes TwoVic
  • I support a schools right to search student lockers as they are a public institution whose number one priority is the education of your youth in a safe protected environment.

    Students are given the privilege of using lockers provided by the school to store books, assignments, sports equipment and other items they do not need to carry to every class. It is a convenience, not a private storage facility. Provided this is made clear to students there should be no issue when it comes to privacy. They always have the right not to use a locker if they wish.

    Yes R3n5God2iIIa
  • Schools do have the right to search a student's locker.

    Lockers are school property. The school is responsible for the safety and care of all students. If there is reason to believe that a student may have something illegal or harmful in their locker it is the schools legal and moral responsibility to search. When parents enroll there child in a school they are giving that school the responsibility and the duty to care for them. Not allowing a school to search a locker would be like not allowing a parent to search a bedroom. Don't get me wrong...I do believe children have certain rights but when it comes to there safety or the safety of others privacy is not one of them.

    Yes w00tboycomic
Voice Your Opinion
No
38% of users
  • Kelly Ronison

    i think that is stupid that schools go throw students lcoker. they have no right to do that anyway bcz it is stupid.

    No Anonymous
  • Kids have all the right adults have!

    Well I don't think KIDS are going to be taking drugs or something! If someone is caught smoking on campus or something like that then yes they could search. In fact, if administration stuck their heads in students lockers for no reason then it would be against the law. Why don't people understand? Children are people too! Kids are being brainwashed thinking they aren't great and don't deserve rights. Come on people! Think about it!

    No Anonymous
  • no

    because its so fuck thing

    No Anonymous
  • NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

    NONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONO :)

    No Anonymous
  • NO WAY NIGGAS!

    HECK NO YOU MOFOS WAT THE HELL. WE HAVE THE RIGHT TO OUR FING PRIVACY.I RATHER LOOSE MY PANTS THEN BE RAPED BE SOME MOFO COP.I RATHER PROTEST STRIP NAKED THEN HAVE A SKING ASS COP RAPE MA ASS. GO SUCK SOME CHEESE U FING MOFOS.

    No Anonymous
  • uuuuu...no

    my mom searches my room is that a violation of my privacy? yes it is but shes my mother thats different from a school authority figure searching my locker. lets face it we dont use backpacks nemore.

    No Anonymous
  • students need privacy

    Yes students need their privacy but how far can the school go to find out whats in the STUDENTS locker? a locker is the students only privacy in the school and i find that unless they dont have a reason to search they should not.but if it is for the better safe of the school they should just search the locker of the person that they think is storing something bad.

    No Anonymous
  • we the kids have rights

    what happen if we have something very memorable inside of our belonging or something very special that we want to keep it on the low. example what happen i

    No Anonymous
  • no

    i say no because girls sometimes feel embarrassed to show people what they have in their lockers and its not fair its just invading the students privacy.

    No Anonymous
  • no

    no no no no! i have things in my locker that i would like to be kept private. And no its not illegal its my own private stuff. I know that the school owns the lockers but for the short time that im at school i would like to keep my private stuff in there

    No Anonymous
  • no schools need to give them their privacy and leave them alone!!!!!!!

    schools already have lots to do at fault such as over pricing school lunches, not having enough freedom of speech and now to top it off LOCKER SEARCHES! i mean really students deserve at least some privacy at a school environment, schools have the right to read thier papers, look through thier binders and folders and now just to make more problems they are allowing locker searches! they should be banned.

    No Anonymous
  • I was framed...

    I had the personal experience of being stood up at a locker search and seeing someone else's lock on my locker. Despite my protests, it was opened and I spent a month in detention for the porno magazines someone else left in my locker. Thank god it wasn't drugs or guns they left. Even with locks on, these lockers are often not secure.

    No Anonymous
  • No, some students have no where to go, no where that can be called there own....you're taking this away too?

    1. 4th amendment...absolutely not. 2. Some students live in sad situations where they don't have anything where they can just put things without being stolen or a place that can just be theirs...you shouldn't e snooping. 3. I could talk forever about the faults in education, and students could too...the things that make students frustrated enough to drop out are multiplying, this might push them over the limit, it would to some.

    No Anonymous
  • 4th amendment

    Clearly it does not protcet us childern from the illeagl search and seizure. Apound a search and seizure if anything it to be found why isnt it trund back over to the parent. Schools personal should not have the right on a supstion of smell or on the way the student walks or talks even how they star at the teacher. Us students need to stand up for our right to the 4th amendment.

    No Anonymous
  • Schools do not have the right to search student lockers. The 4th amendment clearly gives U.S. Citizens the right to privacy, even if you are in a school setting. Administrators have no right to rifle through private and personal belongings.

    I believe that students should have privacy rights as well. Before assigning that locker to the student, the administration should make it clear to the student whether or not the locker can or will be searched. If this is not made clear when the locker is assigned, the student should have a reasonable right to privacy within his locker. If a teacher believes there is something illegal in a kids locker, then the police should be called, and search warrant should be executed.

    No R3ubHockey
Voice Your Opinion


 
 
Do schools have the right to search student's lockers?
Top of Page
© 2010 Juggle, LLC
All Rights Reserved
Encyclopedia & Reference Resource