Constitutional Law
Oct. 8, 2026
Schoolhouse searches blur the line between discipline and policing
The California appellate ruling in In re N.S. highlights concerns that police officers assigned to schools can use the more permissive search authority afforded school officials and potentially bring criminal charges when students resist their orders.
Robert Ross DeKoven
Professor
California Western School of Law
225 Cedar St
San Diego , CA 92101-3090
Affiliated Professor at San Diego State University
A middle-school student walks past a uniformed police officer on campus. The student looks at the officer's gun and says, "I have a Glock, too." The officer orders him to the principal's office for a search. The student refuses, challenges the officer's authority under the Constitution, and walks away. Another officer arrives, and the student submits to the search. The officers apparently find no gun.
Yet the student ends up in juvenile court.
In I...
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