Analysis Of The Supreme Court Case Of TLO V. New Jersey

When the privacy of students comes into question there are mixed responses, especially when it comes to the contents of a student’s bag. From the landmark supreme court case TLO v. New Jersey, the privacy students have in school has inevitably come into question. Whether TLO or New Jersey was right, this court case changed the way we look at students and their privacy. Some may argue that students have no privacy in school while others may think they have too much. Has the Supreme Court already decided where they stand on this hot button topic? In the 1980’s, TLO, a fourteen year old New Jersey student and her friend were caught smoking inside a school bathroom, and subsequently taken to the principal’s office where they were questioned. TLO’s friend admitted to smoking while TLO stood firmly and denied the act altogether. The assistant principal wanted to search TLO’s bag and in doing so, found rolling papers and a pack of cigarettes. This case quickly became iconic, eventually making …show more content…
It is clear the evolution that the fourth amendment has carried throughout the years. In the court case regarding TLO v. New Jersey, the girl thought her rights were violated, but she just broke the rules and a search was conducted. In the case where the boys phone was confiscated and searched is an example of some loopholes that the fourth amendment has in schools. In certain circumstances you have to use the judgment that got you the job and take it from there. The school that the child attends will never be looked at the same by its students, based on the fact that the students cannot trust the school system. Then you see school districts that use probable cause from a “tip” to conduct a search on a student and escalate the issue as it needs to be. Privacy in school will always be debated until action is taken to secure the rights of students