What is a Strip Search?  According to American Heritage Dictionary:

The search of a person for illegal or contraband articles, such as drugs or weapons, by requiring the removal of enough clothing to allow the inspection of normally private parts of the person’s body.

You are probably asking yourselves why in the world we would ask such a random question.  It’s important to know what a strip search involves since there is, in the Northumberland School System, an active policy which allows for strip searches. 

WHAT?  Yes, friends, it’s true.

The policy is in Section J, “Students”, and is titled “Search and Seizure” – policy code JFG. The entire policy is worth reading because it covers not just strip searches but book bag and locker searches, ‘wand’ searches, pat down searches, consent searches, car searches….all kind of searches that your student might be subjected to.  Just walking through the door to school involves a search – your child goes through a metal detector. 

Here, in its entirety, is the Strip search language:

Strip searches involve an extreme intrusion into the rights of a student and may only be conducted when an extremely serious situation exists requiring immediate action because of an imminent threat of death or great bodily injury to a person or persons. If a strip search is necessary the school official should contact the appropriate law enforcement official, and the search should be conducted by a sworn law enforcement officer of the same sex, in the presence of a same sex adult witness. School officials may only conduct a strip search in cases where it is necessary to avoid the imminent threat of death or great bodily injury to the student or another person. If a strip search must be conducted by a school official, it must be by a same sex official with a same sex adult witness, and the school official must have the prior approval of the superintendent or superintendent’s designee, unless the health or safety of the student is endangered by the delay.

How about this paragraph on Pat Down searches?

A pat down search of a student may only be conducted if a school administrator has established a high level of reasonable suspicion that evidence will be found to corroborate suspicion that a law or school rule has been broken. If a pat down search of a student’s person is conducted, it will be conducted in private by a school official of the same sex and with an adult witness of the same sex present.

Or this one on Consent searches?

If a student gives a school official consent for a search the school official does not need to demonstrate reasonable suspicion. A student’s consent is only valid if given willingly and with knowledge of the meaning of consent. Students should be told of their right to refuse to be searched, and students must not perceive themselves to be at risk of punishment for refusing to grant permission for the search. There has probably never been a strip search conducted at any of our schools, but the policy exists and so the potential exists that your student, under extreme circumstances, could be strip searched.  But why even have a strip search policy?  If the situation is extreme enough to warrant a strip search, shouldn’t the student be first removed from school grounds?  And if the situation is that dire, shouldn’t parental/custodial notification be included in the policy?

We searched the entire policy.  There is not one reference to parental notification.  There is also no reference to the age of the child so according to the way this policy is written, your second grader could give consent to be searched and you wouldn’t have to be informed.

Sometimes what isn’t written into a policy is more important than what is.

Want to read more?  Go to Board Docs here: https://go.boarddocs.com/va/nucps/Board.nsf/Public# .   In the top right hand corner is the word “Policies”.  Click that word, negotiate your way to section J and from there, to the Search and Seizure policy.  Alternatively, there is a search function in the top left hand corner but scrolling through the student policies is much more fun and informative.  For example, by scrolling the list we found out that 20 year olds (and older) could, at the discretion of the School Board, be admitted to our schools. (Policy code JEB)  As a parent, wouldn’t you like to know when a 20 year old is in your child’s class?

The entire “search and seizure” policy is also printed on pages 46, 47 and 48 of the “Student Code of Conduct” for Pre-K – 12^th published for the 2024-25 school year.  https://cdnsm5-ss5.sharpschool.com/UserFiles/Servers/Server_5986517/Image/Parents/NCPS%20Code%20of%20Conduct%202024-2025.pdf