Three things came to mind when I read this:

1) It is not a bad thing to give teachers immunity from prosecution because otherwise they will be afraid to search for contraband, PROVIDED that this is the same sort of immunity that is given to police officers (i.e. a search that is reasonable in light of the circumstances).

2) It IS a bad thing to expect teachers and school officials to be able to make those sorts of decisions. Cops have a certain amount of exposure to 4th Amendment questions by virtue of their training and their time on the job interacting with the DA's office, etc. To expect school officials to be able to make the same decisions is insane.

3) I would hope that the police would show up immediately when called, and that the parent or parents would show up immedidately when called, but that isn't always the case.

I think that rather than rely on vague guidelines that even trained lawyers at the Justice Department would argue over, they ought to just make certain very clearly delineated search activities immune from liability - and strip and cavity searches should not be among them. The potential for abuse is too ripe.

I think a substantial part of the true problem must be laid at the feet of SOME parents who take NO RESPONSIBILITY for their children - too busy being buddies or "doing their own thing" or just being self-important jerks! Children don't need pals - they find plenty of those out in the world. What they need is PARENTS and too many biological progenitors abdicate their responsibility almost completely!

The high school in my town is now going to have ramdom locker searches, including having a dog go about sniffing for drugs. Some parents are in the usual "my kid's privacy" uproar, but I say, if the kid has nothing to worry about then what's the big deal? Plus, a school is a public institution, paid for by my tax dollars. If illegal drugs are there, then there is no such thing as privacy. I do not think, though, that anyone other than the police should do any sort of strip search, and then only if a parent has been notified (unless the kid is 18).

I like Gayle's comment that some parents are too busy being palsy-walsy with their kids to be the responsible role models those kids desperately need...

We were always told that the lockers were school property, not ours, and that there is no claim to privacy to what is in them.

Also, any cars parked on the school parking lot were subject to searches at any time.

I remember I got in trouble because I left a pack of cigarettes on my passenger seat. I got off with a warning, but they did NOT play.