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Locker Searches in Middle
Schools
Summary of Topic:
Middle level students tend to put ownership on anything they use
frequently, such as lockers. Students feel that their lockers are
"theirs" as they use them throughout the school-year, and can
contain items that students do not wish to have the public seeing. Such
is the case when school officials perform locker searches. When locker
searches are performed, they are performed for the purpose of finding
objects or substances that are against school policies, are illegal, or
pose as a potential threat to others, whole respecting the privacy of
the student for objects that are not against school policies. The middle
school years are when student tend to be the most sensitive and
self-conscious; having a school official search a student’s locker
could damage a student’s self-esteem by embarrassing them, and can
even put students on the defensive.
5 Key Ideas:
-Point 1: A suggestion: Policies on locker searches
and other searches in middle schools should be included in school
handbooks, as well as given to students and parents. Thus, students and
parents will know the procedures and preventative actions to be taken if
the need for a search arises.
-Point 2: In order for school officials to search student’s
lockers, the officials must have a reasonable suspicion that the student
has violated a school rule or criminal law; or, the school makes it very
clear that random searches can and will occur. This can be useful in
middle schools to protect students’ integrity and their self-esteem.
Knowing that random locker searches will occur helps to protect this by
not allowing any one student, or group of students to be singled out,
causing embarrassment.
-Point 3: Typically, middle schools assign lockers to students
for the students to use temporarily. Middle school students are solely
responsible for all of the contents in their locker. By knowing this,
middle school students can be aware that the items they bring into the
middle school, if potentially dangerous, will carry a consequence. Also,
this helps to prevent the sharing of lockers, giving the middle school
students responsibility that they desire at this age.
-Point 4: Any items that are found during a locker search that
are illegal, against school policies, or poses as a threat to others,
may be seized. Upon seizure of such items, law enforcement officials
should be contacted.
-Point 5: Lockers that are assigned to middle school students are
the property of the school district. When these lockers are assigned,
the district does not give up it ownership of these lockers.
Links and Books:
Click
here for a list of website links and books used while researching
for information to use on this site. Also,
you can read what parents, teachers, and students have to say about
locker searches here: www.familyeducation.com/whatworks/review/index/0,2559,1-9830-2198,00.html
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