4th Amendment In Schools Cases In Sacramento
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New Jersey v. T.L.O, 469 U.S. 325 (1985): In a landmark case affirming students' rights in schools, the Supreme Court ruled that the Fourth Amendment prohibited unreasonable searches and seizures in public schools.
Brendlin v. California | United States Courts.
The Fourth Amendment applies to searches conducted by public school officials because “school officials act as representatives of the State, not merely as surrogates for the parents.” 350 However, “the school setting requires some easing of the restrictions to which searches by public authorities are ordinarily subject ...
26 In acknowledging the importance of the Fourth Amendment exclusionary rule in deterring illegal search and seizures of juveniles, the courts have concluded that a child who encounters an officer on the street has a legitimate expectation of privacy in his person and property.
Like searches, the seizure, or confiscation, of personal property is limited by the Fourth Amendment. Despite this, nearly every school has a policy of taking certain items belonging to students. Most commonly, this includes cell phones, but school have confiscated anything from stuffed animals to permanent markers.
In the landmark decision Tinker v. Des Moines Independent Community School District, the U.S. Supreme Court formally recognized that students do not "shed their constitutional rights to freedom of speech or expression at the schoolhouse gate".
Brendlin v. California. This Fourth Amendment activity is based on the landmark Supreme Court case Brendlin v. California, dealing with search and seizure during a traffic stop.
Affirmative. Yes. Although students do not “shed their constitutional rights to freedom of speech or expression at the schoolhouse gate,” school administrators must have the ability to restrict speech that is harmful to other students, in this instance promoting illegal drug use.
While education may not be a "fundamental right" under the Constitution, the equal protection clause of the 14th Amendment requires that when a state establishes a public school system (as in Texas), no child living in that state may be denied equal access to schooling.
Although it is virtually undisputed that children have some Fourth Amendment rights independent of their parents, it is equally clear that youth generally receive less constitutional protection than adults.
