PLN 5-2

I have recently read a post by Kieran Nicholson titled ACLU decries school cellphone searches that talks about how some schools are searching through students text messages when they suspect drug abuse or cheating on tests. I think that going through every ones personal text messages is wrong. Many people text personal information to each other that shouldn't be read by anyone else. The only way that I think reading other students text messages is legal is when a student is showing signs of dangerous actions.

Administrators there said they've searched student text messages when they
suspected drug abuse or cheating on tests.

It would be similar to the canine locker search where you only search someones personal information or space if there is a good reason for thinking something is wrong with that particular student. In school, people text all the time and many of the texts are personal and should not be read by anyone who it is not intended for. Around the world, people text constantly and if their texts are searched for no apparent reason, that is violating their rights to privacy.

"Students have legally protected rights of privacy, and the actions of
Monarch administrators are violating those rights."

"Prior to confiscating the students' cellular phones and transcribing text messages found on them," school officials contacted the district's legal counsel and were told "it was indeed legal for them to take the actions," the district said in a news release.