Student Search and Seizures Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Student Search and Seizures - Essay Example This paper describes the existing policies related to search and seizure practices for the student body at Hope High School in Arkansas with discussion regarding proper ethical behavior and the letter of the law for such practices. Reflecting on Search and Seizure Juveniles are afforded many protections that differ from adults under the Constitution and state-level legal systems. During adolescence, youths are subject to adult-based authoritarian hierarchies in which they are reliant on ethical and moral adult leadership to ensure their rights are protected. Even though youths in high school are protected under many varieties of law, they are also utilizing school property such as lockers, desks, or the use of the school parking lot. Therefore, they are subject to established school policies regarding the appropriate use of these systems or storage devices. This might, to the casual civilian, look to be a sort of conflict of interest regarding how best to secure the rights of the sch ool as well as the individual student. ... re is some level of counseling service provided to ensure that students have a valid resource to discuss their psychological misgivings or other concerns related to mental health. By all measures, their physical safety is ensured by adequate adult leadership and existing non-violence policies. In every measure, then, it should be said that high school officials absolutely secure the most fundamental right afford to students. The second right is that of being afforded the opportunity to achieve purpose in life (ethics.tamu.edu). This, too, is afforded simply by the constructs of ethical teaching systems that provide opportunities for growth and knowledge. The third and most complicated of Gewirth’s fundamental rights hierarchy is that of the right to property, non-discrimination and self-respect (ethics.tamu.edu). This is a much more complex dynamic of student rights, as their properties within the school maintain the potential to become scrutinized by the school system and its administration in the event there is concern about student protection or securing the letter of the law. In the event of a warranted search and seizure, questions arise about self-respect issues and whether students are receiving some form of discriminatory judgment from adult supervision at the school. This is why there should be some form of rights statement attached with any existing policy about student search and seizure practices to ensure that society recognizes some form of ethical and moral system drives administrative decision-making in these matters. One educator from the University of Arizona offers that in order to clarify a rights statement, there must be mention of â€Å"moral importance† as to why an individual deserves rights protections as well as identifying the interests of