SCHOOL LOCKER SEARCHES USEFUL, IF USED WITH CAUTION

Nobody likes even the appearance of invading someone's privacy, which
is what makes the whole debate about searching student lockers
distasteful to most people.

That's why, while the state school board mulls over its position on
searches, it's important to consider how far students should expect
privacy rights to extend once they're on a public school campus.

Clearly, they can't expect their assigned locker space to be
sacrosanct. It belongs to the school, which should retain the right
to enter it without the burden of seeking a warrant or otherwise
showing reason or suspicion.

The challenging part is in how to exercise that right: Locker
searches could do more harm than good if they're pursued too aggressively.

Part of a school's mission is to prepare a child to be independent; a
school could easily cripple that mission if it's constantly relaying
the message that students are untrustworthy.

The school board is going to conduct hearings before adopting a final
position, and members need to keep ears attuned to ideas about how
the policy should be defined.

Wisely, the board already drew a bright line barring searches that
are discriminatory on the basis of race, color, national origin,
ancestry, sex (including gender identity and expression), religion,
disability or sexual orientation.

But there are other potential wrinkles to iron out. For example, the
locker itself may be an extension of the school's public space, but
the student's private property inside - notebooks, textbooks
backpacks, gym bags - deserve more consideration. Drug-sniffing dogs
- - the board also approved their presence on campus - would help
schools pinpoint the location of drugs without embarking on a random
search of student possessions.

In addition, the policy should mandate that students be made fully
aware that the lockers are not their private space. Disclosing to
students where their rights begin and end is also part of the
education process that must not be overlooked; it communicates to
students that they're deserving of respect.

Civil liberties advocates have warned that suspicionless locker
searches could invite lawsuits. While that's possible, there is
certainly precedence for such searches in other school districts, Los
Angeles and Seattle among them.

Like those communities, Hawai'i is coming to the sad conclusion that
the drug epidemic demands more vigilance than was necessary in simpler times.

Locker searches, like drug tests for teachers, is one tool that
should be available, but used with extreme caution.