Raul Martinez

English 2
May 12, 2015
Safford USD v. April Redding
In the case Safford Unified School District v. April Redding in which April Redding
accuses the school of violating her 13 year old daughter's, Savana Redding,fourth Amendment
rights. Jordan Romero, a student at Safford USD, accuses Marissa Glines of taking pills in
school which were not allowed on campus. After the Assistant Principal Wilson questions and
searches Marissa she learns that Marissa had received the pills from her friend Savana
Redding. When Savana is called in, Wilson shows her the pills found in Marissas planner and
asks her if she knows anything about the planner and pills. Savana denies having anything to
do with dealing pills in school and agrees to allow Wilson search her bag in where they find
nothing. Wilson then decides to send Savana to the nurse's office where she would be strip
search for more pills. When she arrives at the nurses office she is told to take of her clothes
leaving her with only her bra and underpants, but then told to pull her bra out and... to pull the
elastic on her underpants. When Savanas mother was informed about the incident she felt that
her daughters fourth Amendment rights were violated and went on to sue the school in which
the supreme court was presented to the question Did the school official's search of Savana
Reddings person violate her 4th Amendment rights?
Although it might have been necessary to search Savanas bag, there are limits to the
fourth Amendment. It is also very different in school in which In Loco Parentis allows the teacher
to act as a parent, but the search should always be reasonable. In order to know whether a
search is Reasonable first, one must consider whether the... action was justified at its
inception, second, one must determine whether the search as actually conducted was
reasonably related in scope to the circumstances which justified the interference in the first
place. In January 15, 1985 a case was brought to the Supreme Court, New Jersey v T.L.O.
This case also included a school in were the Vice Principal searched T.L.Os bag, but did not
performed a strip search. After T.L.O. accused the school of ignoring her fourth Amendment
rights the Supreme Court ruled that the search was reasonable and did not violate T.L.Os fourth
Amendment rights since the search had only been in her bag and because of In Loco Parentis
the Vice Principal was allowed to search her bag.
Unlike New Jersey v T.L.O., the facts shown in Safford USD v April Redding proofs that
Safford absolutely violated Savanas fourth Amendment rights. When Savana was called in
Helen Romero, an administrative assistant, came into the office, and together with Wilson they
searched Savanas backpack, finding nothing. Wilson and Romero had no reasonable cause to
strip search Savana or evidence to suggest that she was hiding any drugs in her underpants or
bra since their first search attempt resulted in no evidence of savana possessing any pills. In
Jersey v T.L.O. the Vice Principals search resulted in her finding cigarettes which is why she
continued to search T.L.O. making her search reasonable.There was also no strong reason that
suggested that Savana was dealing pills other than when marissa said, I guess it slipped in
when she (Savana Redding) gave me the IBU 400s. There were no pills found in Savana and

Marissa could just be trying to frame her to avoid been in too much trouble. Not only that, but
Wilson also balmes Savana because he believes that in November, during a school dance
where cigarettes and alcohol were present, Savana was hosting a party from where he thinks
the alcohol and cigarettes came from. There is no real evidence to proof that Savana had any
pills which is why the strip search was unnecessary and violated her fourth Amendment rights.
Did the school official's search of Savana Reddings person violate her 4th Amendment
rights? The search conducted on Savana Redding showed no traits her dealing pills.This makes
the strip search completely unreasonable since there wa no evidence showing she could have
been hiding pills in her bra and underpants. The unreasonable search conducted by school
officials at Safford USD was definitely a violation of Savanas fourth Amendment rights.