Can a school counselor search an 11 year old’s backpack and person without contacting the parent?
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Can a school counselor search an 11 year old’s backpack and person without contacting the parent?
My 6 year old told the bus driver that my 11 year old hid bullets in their clubhouse that mom had already found them and took them over a month ago. The bus driver told the school where 11
year old attends and the counselor searched his personal belongings with police present without calling me. I found this out after boys got home from school. I understand with all of the hype the media makes about shootings this could be a concern however, I think the school counselor was out of line doing the checking when the police were involved, without my knowledge, then the responding officers should have been the ones conducting the search.
Asked on April 18, 2018 under Criminal Law, Arkansas
Answers:
SJZ, Member, New York Bar / FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney
Answered 6 years ago | Contributor
Yes, the school counselor may seach your child's backpack at school. The school--and hence its staff or employee, like the guidance counselor--are "in loco parentis": that means, that the law makes them effectively the parents' "stand in" while the children are in school, with much of the power that parents would have over their children (during school hours and on/at the school's location). This is necessary to allow the school to exercise authority or discipline over students. This power extends to the ability to authorize searches of the student's property or belongings on the school grounds, so the school, through the guidance counselor, could authorize or allow the search, the same way that you could have.
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