http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/editorials/ct-edit-stevenson-20120205,0,3761024.story
This article discusses a case study of privacy rights at Stevenson High School, in the suburban town of Lincolnshire, Illinois. The author points out that high school students have little to no privacy once they arrive on campus. Courts have said administration is able to search lockers, backpacks and make them take drug tests, but the issue at hand is regarding cell phones. Officials at the school recently confiscated cellphones of teens suspected of buying or selling drugs and read their messages. The author acknowledges that while school officials have a reasonable motives for wanting to stop drug trafficking, reading personal messages steps a little bit too far. A point made is that judges will compare it to reading passed notes aloud in the old days. The author makes their argument using logos and credibility that result from comparisons to the Fourth Amendment in which includes the bar to unreasonable searches and seizures. While the author acknowledges the right of school officials to act in best interest of the minors they are caring for, the argument is made that cell phones are " a fact of modern life" , and that "high school administrators ought to keep in mind the scope of their prerogatives". I believe the author makes a persuasive case that the rights to student's privacy must be carefully balanced with school administration's educational and social goals for students.
-Matt Foley
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