Should Schools Strip Search Children?

Redding v. Safford Unified School District #1 -

Savana Redding, a 13-year-old, was subjected to a strip search at the direction of Vice Principal Kerry Wilson by her middle school in October of 2003. 

As the Ninth Circuit wrote,

"Savana removed her socks, shoes and jacket for inspection for ibuprofen. The officials found nothing. Then, [one official] asked Savana to remove her T-shirt and stretch pants. Embarrassed and scared, Savana complied and sat in her bra and underwear while the two adults examined her clothes. Again, the officials found nothing. Still progressing with the search, despite receiving only corroboration of Savana's pleas that she did not have any ibuprofen, [the official] instructed Savana to pull her bra out to the side and shake it. Savana followed the instructions, exposing her naked breasts in the process. The shaking failed to dislodge any pills.  [She] next requested that Savana pull out her underwear at the crotch and shake it.

"Hiding her head so that the adults could not see that she was about to cry, Savana complied and pulled out her underwear, revealing her pelvic area. No ibuprofen was found."

The goal of the search was to determine if she was the source of prescription-strength ibuprofen pills among some fellow students.  With Savana traumatized and humiliated by the search -- which found no drugs -- her mother sued the school district, Vice Principal Wilson, and the staff who conducted the search. 

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