By Grace Marion
Graphics Editor and Staff Writer

When you enter a school, you lose some of your rights as a citizen of the United States, but arguably, only those necessary to protect the student body. This is a reasonable objective although some question where the line is drawn. Most can agree that drugs, weapons, and harassment are detrimental to a learning environment; but what about privacy? When a school confiscates a cell phone, do they have the right to look through the messages? Should they?

“Modern cell phones are not just another technological convenience. With all they contain and all they may reveal, they hold for many Americans “the privacies of life,” The fact that technology now allows an individual to carry such information in his hand does not make the information any less worthy of the protection for which the Founders fought. Our answer to the question of what police must do before searching a cell phone seized incident to an arrest is accordingly simple— get a warrant.” Stated the United States Supreme court, in the ruling of Riley v. California, last June.

The court ruling has been known under common law for years, and smaller court rulings have always ruled in the favor of those searched. Teachers are not police. Teachers, administrators, and janitors would never make an attempt to arrest and sentence a student for a crime. If they cannot reach the same thresholds as law enforcement they should not attempt to reach beyond it.