TRI In The News

"Lockdown" Searches of Students Challenged as Illegal

From WorldNetDaily
Original article by Bob Unruh available here.

A lawsuit is being filed against a Missouri school district after officials there announced a "lockdown," ordered students to leave their classrooms without their backpacks and then had sheriff's officers search personal possessions while the students were detained.

The action is being brought by the Rutherford Institute against the school district in Springfield, Mo., over the actions by administrators at Central High School.

"Such random, suspicionless lockdown raids against children teach our children a horrific lesson," said John W. Whitehead, president of the Rutherford Institute. "The lesson being imparted - one that goes against every fundamental principle this country was founded upon - is that we have no rights at all against the state or the police."

The complaint explains that such mass searches of students and their possessions violate the United States and Missouri Cconstitutions. The case, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Missouri, alleges Central High officials violated the Fourth Amendment in staging the lockdown and having sheriff's officers do a search of backpacks, purses and other possessions.

According to the complaint, it was on April 22 when the principal of Central High School announced over the public address system that the school was going into "lockdown" and that students were prohibited from leaving their classrooms.

"Deputies and agents of the Greene County Sheriff's Department thereafter ordered students and teachers to leave all personal belongings behind and exit the classrooms," the Rutherford announcement said. "Dogs were also brought in to assist in the raid. Upon re-entering the classrooms, students allegedly discovered that their backpacks, purses and other effects had been opened and rummaged through."

The complaint was filed on behalf of Mellony and Doug Burlison, who have two children in the school. They had complained to the school and were told the procedures were a "standard drill" and would continue, Rutherford reported.

The lawsuit seeks a court determination that the practice violates the Constitution. It also seeks damages for the constitutional violations.

School officials did not respond to a WND request for comment.

The complaint alleges the practices "flagrantly disregard the privacy and constitutional rights of these students and undermine the American democratic form of government. Students do not shed their constitutional rights at the gates of the schoolhouse."

It accuses Superintendent Norman Ridder and Principal Ron Snodgrass of acting "under color of law in the State of Missouri" in ordering the search.

"The Defendants SPS, Ridder and Snodgrass invited, authorized and allowed deputies ... to enter upon the premises of Central High School for the purpose of allowing a seizure and search of the property of [the Burlisons' child] and other students, as well as a seizure and search of the persons of various Central High School students," the complaint states.

The search and seizure actions were "without probable cause, reasonable suspicion, or any other basis or justification," it claims.

The claim seeks a ruling that the searches must stop as well as damages for the actions that already have occurred.