I have been trying to think what to say about this.

[kyrielle]

Instead, I'm going to link you to kfrye's post about it, which pretty well covers it. If you're curious about my response, I left a comment there (or just check the mood on this post...)

Strip-searching a 13 year old for ibuprofen (though I will note, if you read the linked article, 'prescription-strength' - even so!)

Comments

[the_rck]

I still remember when, about sixteen years ago, my younger brother got expelled from high school for refusing to allow himself to be physically searched. The school called my mother, expecting her to tell him to do it, but she told him not to and called the ACLU. She was quite prepared to take the whole thing to court and fight it for years, but the school settled because they had admitted, on tape, that they had no reason to think he had anything on him for them to find. They were just searching randomly selected students on general principle and had brought police in to help them do it.

I think Mom was disappointed that the school backed down.

[kyrielle]

*grins* Your Mom rocks.

[davmoo.livejournal.com]

I would say not finding anything is the norm. When I was 12, 13, and 14, I strip searched a number of 13 year old girls. I never found any ibuprofen either.

:-D

[kyrielle]

LOL!!! And I am sure that was what you were looking for, of course. ;)

[ladywraith.livejournal.com]

Absolutely appalling.

I've been taking pain meds since the age of 12 due to arthritis and a bum knee. I would have PUNCHED my principal back then if he suggested such a thing... then I would have marched out and stormed home to tell my mother. Then all hell would have broken loose, between her and my Dad against the school (and they were in the process of their second separation but you didn't mess with their kids!).

Wow. Just. Wow. That poor, poor girl. I shudder to think what the schools would think of my backpack these days with tylenol w/codeine, stomach meds, two types of inhalers, metformin, pepto, celebrex for my knees... etc etc etc. What about diabetic kids with insulin? Do they get targeted too in this zero tolerance crap? Kids with epi-pens? How about inhalers (oh, no, kids could get high off of those!).

Lord, what IS this world coming to?

And I thought it was bad I was told by the vice principal in high school not to wear a particular t-shirt again to school. It was a beer shirt, yes. But as I explained to him, it was a shirt my MOTHER bought for me (because it was cheap)!

*sighs* Stupid, stupid people...

[phoenixscribe.livejournal.com]

Absolutely! Not! Ok!

Strip search by non-police?????

Hell, no, and you better recognize that you are setting yourself up for a hell of a fight that you are going to lose.

Stupid @$^#^&(#^$(^#(&%(#^$)!@^$(#^%(@)&!@#)&!)#*&$)^#%(^$!@ judges. This is NOT a freaking military state, and due process still exists. Get over your self-important attitude and grow up.


*whew*
*feels a little better now*

[kyrielle]

*nodnods* Yeah. I'm glad her parents at least sued; in this case I think it was very necessary. But the fact that the school did that is appalling.

I had trouble in Jr. High with a PE teacher who didn't want to let me carry my asthma inhaler while we played sports and ran around the track outside - since my asthma was allergy-triggered, exactly when I was most likely to need it! - and who yelled at me when I dropped to a walk during runs so I could breathe. Fortunately, my mother simply got a doctor's note, went and had Words with the teacher and the principal, and that took care of that.

(The outside track was a quarter-mile loop and, at one end, ran relatively close to some flowering bushes, scotch broom if memory serves me right, to which I was quite allergic.)

That's not as bad as this, but I'm sure I also could have run afoul of no-tolerance to drug policies as I had to take a pill for the asthma regularly as well as carry my inhaler!

[kyrielle]

Exactly.

I'm glad her parents sued. I'm glad they've been vindicated. I was livid when I saw it had happened at all.