Savana Redding, an honor roll student, was stripped searched by school officials at Safford Middle School in Safford, Arizona on October 8, 2003. The reason? A classmate had accused her of possessing and distributing ibuprofen. Just think of what would of happened if they would of found Aspirin and or Tylenol.
Redding was taken out of class by vice-Principal Kerry Wilson and brought to his office where she denied providing the pills to a classmate. Administrative assistant Helen Romero then took her to the school nurse Peggy Schwallier's office where she was strip-searched.
Here's how the appeals court summarized the search:
There, at [vice principal Kerry] Wilson's behest, [Wilson's administrative assistant Helen] Romero and the school nurse, Peggy Schwallier, conducted a strip search of Savana. The officials had Savana peel off each layer of clothing in turn. First, Savana removed her socks, shoes and jacket for inspection for ibuprofen. The officials found nothing. Then, Romero asked Savana to remove her T-shirt and stretch pants. Embarrassed and scared, Savana complied and sat in her bra and underwear while the two adults examined her clothes. Again, the officials found nothing. Still progressing with the search, despite receiving only corroboration of Savana's pleas that she did not have any ibuprofen, Romero instructed Savana to pull her bra out to the side and shake it. Savana followed the instructions, exposing her naked breasts in the process. The shaking failed to dislodge any pills. Romero next requested that Savana pull out her underwear at the crotch and shake it. Hiding her head so that the adults could not see that she was about to cry, Savana complied and pulled out her underwear, revealing her pelvic area. No ibuprofen was found. The school officials finally stopped and told Savana to put her clothes back on and accompany Romero back to Wilson's office. Savana did not freely agree to this search. She was "embarrassed and scared, but felt [she] would be in more trouble if [she] did not do what they asked." In her affidavit, Savana described the experience as "the most humiliating experience" of her short life, and felt "violated by the strip search." (emphasis added)
The school argued that the search was reasonable and justified because pills had been found on campus and a student had linked them to Redding. http://www.svmoms.com/2009/04/hey-supreme-court-keep-your-hands-out-of-my-daughters-underwear.html
The school also insists that it has the right to strip-search honors students even with very little justification so it appeals to Supreme Court. The case will decide whether school officials can strip-search your children at school and get away with it. http://www.svmoms.com/2009/04/hey-supreme-court-keep-your-hands-out-of-my-daughters-underwear.html
Did the District Court err in favoring the school district, while the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals finds Savana Redding’s constitutional rights were violated.
http://www.thisistrue.com/blog-zt_v_savana_redding_a_court_decision.html
http://rongstad.blogspot.com/2009/01/savana-redding-case-goes-to-us-supreme.html
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