SCHOOL VIOLATED TEENAGE GIRL'S RIGHTS WHEN SHE WAS STRIP SEARCHED: COURT

A public school violated the privacy rights of an Arizona teenage
girl who had to undress on suspicion she had ibuprofen pills, the U.
S. Supreme Court ruled yesterday in its first decision on student
strip searches.

By an 8-1 vote, the justices upheld a ruling the school and its
officials violated the U. S. constitutional right that protects
against unreasonable search and seizure.

The ruling by the nation's high court was a major defeat for school
officials who had defended the strip search as necessary for student
safety, school order and combating a growing drug problem.

In 2003, school officials in Safford, Ariz., ordered the strip search
of Savana Redding, who was 13 and in Grade 8. It did not find any
ibuprofen, an over-the-counter anti-inflammatory medication used to
treat fever, headaches and pain, or any other drugs.

"Because there were no reasons to suspect the drugs presented a
danger or were concealed in her underwear, we hold that the search
did violate the Constitution," Justice David Souter wrote for the
court majority.

The school's policy prohibits the use, possession or sale of any drug
on school grounds, including prescription and over-the-counter
medications. A week before the search, a student became sick after
taking pills from a classmate and said certain students were bringing
drugs to school.

Following orders from an assistant principal, a school nurse had
Savana remove her clothes, move her bra to the side and pull her
underwear out, exposing her breasts and pelvic area, to see if she
was hiding any ibuprofen pills.

The strip search was prompted by an unverified tip from a girl who
had Savana's school planner and some ibuprofen. She claimed Savanna
had given her the pills.

Savanna denied this. An initial search of her backpack and pockets
did not turn up any ibuprofen. Officials then ordered the strip search.