The Board of Education is authorized to control and manage students during the school day and during approved extra-curricular activities. The Board directs the administrators to develop regulations to be followed in the event a student or a student's property is searched, or the student is subjected to questioning by law enforcement officials or investigators from other agencies while the student is attending school or participating in extra-curricular activities.

The Board and administrators recognize and respect a student's right to privacy and to be free from unlawful searches and seizures while the student is attending school or participating in extra-curricular activities. Administrators will therefore employ procedural safeguards to protect the well-being of students.

Student lockers and desks are the property of the District. It is the policy of the Board to permit the building principal or the principal's designee to search any locker or desk and the contents of any locker or desk at any time. Notification of this policy will be made through Student Handbooks or other communication.

All other searches of a student or a student's property will be conducted only when there are reasonable grounds to believe that the student has violated a law or a school rule, regulation or policy, or there is cause to believe that the search is reasonably likely to reveal contraband or evidence of a violation of law or school rule, regulation, or policy by that student or another person.

Any time that a search reveals the presence of contraband, such items will be seized, and the student may be subject to disciplinary action. For purposes of this policy, "contraband" includes, but is not limited to, weapons, alcohol, tobacco products, drugs or controlled substances which have not been prescribed for the student who possesses them, and any evidence of a violation of law or school rule, regulation, or policy by that student or another person. Any item seized may be turned over to law enforcement officials as appropriate.

Questioning of a student by a law enforcement official or other outside authority is extremely disruptive to the educational process. Additionally such questioning may affect student and/or parental rights. Therefore a determination whether to allow such questioning will be made by school administrators on a case-by-case basis.

Adopted 3/95