Supreme Court Decides School Strip Search Case

June 26, 2009 by Lee Gaby

The U.S. Supreme Court issued its opinion June 25 upholding qualified immunity for a middle school assistant principal who conducted a strip search related to suspected drug possession. The court remanded the case against the school district, finding that the student’s Fourth Amendment rights were violated. Three members of the court offered dissenting opinions, concurring with some parts of the majority opinion.

The court ruled against another school district on June 22 in a case involving private placement for special-education services.

The legal issues in these two cases once again highlight the complexity of Federal law that school districts encounter daily.

The full opinions of the U.S. Supreme Court are available at http://www.supremecourtus.gov/

In related news, the President of the National School Boards Association issued a statement on June 2 saluting the achievements of Judge Sonia Sotomayor, President Obama’s choice for a seat on the Supreme Court.