VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. – Tuesday, the Volusia County School Board was set to vote on an amended student code of conduct, but that changed after further discussion and mounting opposition from parents.
The amendment reads:
“All visitors to the Volusia County school sites or events are on notice that searches may be conducted at random and without cause by the site administrator. Furthermore, the use of an electric device may be utilized to assist with the search.”
Parents and board members like Carl Persis, who represents District 4, said the policy’s language is unclear.
“I think if you want to say all students, we should say all students, all employees and all visitors,” Persis said.
Parents said the policy as is also leaves too many unanswered questions.
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Some question how students will be searched at random, whether implicit bias will be a factor in who is searched, and what impacts it will have on students’ mental health.
Parents also wondered whether the policy was constitutional.
The board’s legal representation said Florida and U.S. case law supports the policy.
According to the 1985 U.S. Supreme Court ruling of New Jersey v. T.LO., school administrators don’t need a search warrant or probable cause before conducting a search because students have a reduced expectation of privacy when in school.
Regardless, Elizabeth Albert, president of Volusia United Educators, was not sold on the proposal.
“We don’t believe, and we don’t support randomized searches of children,” Albert said.
For now, discussion on this policy is tabled.
The school board will discuss the policy language in their next available workshop. The date is to be decided.
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