can a nun search a student w/o parental consent? Can she put her hands in his pockets?

Question

A nun searched my Junior in High School after shse claimed to received a tip. He is an honor role student who has never been in trouble before. He asked to call me and she denied him the request, but instead put her hands in his pockets and emptied them, then went to his locker. Of course, she found nothing. Is that legal in a Catholic School

Answer 1

Check their policy guide.

It should be in there about searching on school grounds...IF they can search a bookbag, they're allowed to search your son.

Answer 2

I don't know what you could really do aside from pulling your son out of the school. Since it's a private school, they can do this although putting her hands into his pockets is really close to the line. Most likely, even if you go over the nun's head, they are going to cover for each other and make excuses on why it was okay for her to do it.

I had a situation with catholic school when my daughter was in first grade. The teacher put her on the wrong bus accidentally and realized her mistake seconds after the bus pulled away. Rather than picking up the telephone, she waited and let me go through a parent's worst nightmare. It was an honest mistake and my daughter was never in any type of danger but I did have a panic attack as would any parent. The teacher answered the phone when I called, told me what was going on and my daughter was dropped off shortly at my door by the bus she was mistakenly placed on.

I called and scheduled an appointment with the principal to talk about the issue. She spent the entire time trying to duck and hedge my question which was simply, "Why didn't anyone pick up the phone?" I can live with the mistake, but I will never forget the feeling I had when she didn't get off of that bus. The principal would not admit that there was poor judgement used in the decision not to call and continuously tried to justify and make excuses. I would have even lived with a statement such as we will call the parents in the future if this ever happens again.

I had a few other questionable situations throughout that year as well. I put her in public school the following year. At least in PA, public school teachers are required to have more education and certification than the Catholic school teachers do.

Answer 3

The constitution only protects againt unreasonable searches BY THE GOVERNMENT

in a private school they can do whatever the want.

if you don't like that they are searching lockers (and i don't know why you don't think it is a good thing these days with kids bringing guns and drugs to school) then switch schools.

btw - even in most public schools the school can search the locker because it is the school's property, not the students.

Answer 4

Since it is a private school it has different laws than a public school. You need to read the school's policy manual to determine if the nun broke the school's rules or not. If it is school policy and you dont' like it, then all you can do is put your kid in another school.

Since he wasn't molested, just embarrassed, why worry about it?

Answer 5

They have every right to search a locker, bags and anything else. But when it comes to a childs clothing they have to ask for the pockets to be turned out, otherwise they have to call you or the authorities. But I don't think they would have the right.

Answer 6

I think that probable cause can be used as an excuse for a lot of similar things. For instance, if a student is believed to be in possession of a gun or drugs, wouldn't you want him searched?

Answer 7

Yes. You sent the child to a private school, and they have their own code of conduct and ethics. If your child did nothing wrong, he had nothing to worry about, and should have felt vidicated when the Nun found nothing.

Answer 8

Anything is acceptable in a House of God - or in the presense of a Nun.