House passes Schoolchildren strip search legislation- H.R. 5295

[slaveplanet]

For Immediate Release:
9/19/2006
Congressman Davis’ School Safety Legislation Passes the House

http://geoffdavis.house.gov/read.aspx?ID=383

Washington, D.C. – Tuesday, Congressman Geoff Davis’ school safety legislation passed the full House of Representatives.

H.R. 5295, the Student and Teacher Safety Act, requires schools receiving certain federal funds to clarify their policies on school searches. This is a proactive effort at keeping drugs, guns and violence out of our nation’s schools. The recent trend in escalating school violence is a powerful illustration of the necessity to empower teachers and school administrators to conduct student searches. Clarifying school policies will help ensure school officials and students understand the rules and will help deter disruptive behavior. H.R. 5295 recently was endorsed by the National Education Association (NEA).

“I am extremely pleased that the House voted today to pass the Student and Teacher Safety Act,” said Congressman Geoff Davis. “This legislation will help keep drugs and violence out of our schools. I would like to thank the National Education Association for working closely with us on this legislation that empowers teachers and school administrators and affirms their control of their classrooms. Teachers and school administrators, who spend countless hours observing and instructing our children, are our first line of defense in combating school violence. I will continue to work with my colleagues in Congress to ensure that this legislation becomes law.”

“Enhancing school safety is not a new priority for this Congress,” said Rep. Howard P. “Buck” McKeon (R-CA), Chairman of the House Committee on Education & the Workforce. “Earlier this year, President Bush signed legislation to give schools access to criminal history records for individuals seeking to work with or around children – a bill authored by my Committee colleague, Mr. Porter. Today’s passage of the Student and Teacher Safety Act will bolster safety even further in American classrooms. Our message is clear: In order for our nation’s students to get the most out of their education, it’s imperative that they feel safe inside the classroom. This Congress is committed to just that, and I applaud my colleague, Representative Davis, for leading the way.”

“Parents should be able to have confidence that their children are in a safe environment while at school,” said House Majority Leader John Boehner (R-OH). “School officials should have the authority to handle potentially dangerous situations and take the steps necessary to intervene when the safety of our children is in jeopardy. Rep. Davis should be commended for his efforts to keep our schools and classrooms safe.”

full text:
http://geoffdavis.house.gov/Read.aspx?ID=379


This is insanity, This legislation will allow any school official(janitor???) to perform full strip searches of any or all children that attend any school that receives federal funding on the flimsiest of suspicion without warrant or parental consent.

If anyone is suspected of having drugs or guns, just a mere accusation will allow a lecherous teacher to seize the clothing of the whole room or whole school if need be.

And whats even worse is they bypassed committee and it went straight to voice vote so we have no way of knowing who or how they voted on this one.

Traitors all.:mad:

(edit) Just found this-

http://www.drugpolicy.org/news/092006search.cfm

House Approves Strip Search Bill
Wednesday, September 20, 2006

A bill approved by the U.S. House yesterday would require school districts around the country to establish policies making it easier for teachers and school officials to conduct wide scale searches of students. These searches could take the form of pat-downs, bag searches, or strip searches depending on how administrators interpret the law.

The Student Teacher Safety Act of 2006 (HR 5295) would require any school receiving federal funding--essentially every public school--to adopt policies allowing teachers and school officials to conduct random, warrantless searches of every student, at any time, on the flimsiest of pretexts. Saying they suspect that one student might have drugs could give officials the authority to search every student in the building.

DPA supporters and others who opposed this outrageous bill called their members of Congress this week to express their disapproval. However, House leaders circumvented the usual legislative procedure to bring the bill to a quick vote. It did not pass through the committee process, but went straight to the House floor. There, it was passed by a simple voice vote, so constituents cannot even find out how their Representative voted.

The bill moves next to the Senate, but it is unlikely to be considered there this session.

Bill Piper, DPA's director of national affairs, said, "It looks like this bill was rushed to the House floor to help out the sponsor, Rep. Geoff Davis (R-KY/4th), who is in a tight re-election race. This vote lets him say he's getting things done in Washington. But I would be surprised to see a similar push in the Senate."

HR 5295 is opposed in its current form by several groups, including the Drug Policy Alliance, Students for Sensible Drug Policy, the ACLU, the American Federation of Teachers, the National Parent Teacher Association, the American Association of School Administrators, and the National School Boards Association.

DPA will be watching the bill so that if and when it does come up again, this wide array of opponents can mobilize to stop it.

[ThomCat]

1. I hope this gets overturned by the courts.

I doubt we will have that good fortune. The courts have repeatedly decided that kids have absolutely no civil rights at all in school. But its outrageous to think that this would be legal.
:grr:

[elehhhhna]

15. OF COURSE IT WILL. In fact the threat of bidget busting litigatin

will prevent schools from exercizing it.

[Pushed To The Left]

44. I would love to see the ACLU smash this law in the courts!

The far right's heads would explode! The passage of this law is another reminder of why it's crucial that the Democrats take back Congress in November. The right wing is dangerous when they are in power.

[acmavm]

2. No one, man woman or child, should be strip searched without

damn good probable cause. And not on any 'anonymous' tip either.

[zbdent]

3. and suddenly, freepturds want to work in schools again ...

[Lindacooks]

37. LOL! Nice one.

[halobeam]

4. Disturbing on EVERY level.

Nice way to get parents to home school their children. Why aren't they forcing private schools do this then. I'd like to know... THEY don't do drugs? Have weapons? Obviously NO CHILD should ever be touched/interrogated or ANYTHING without their parent present at minimum, approval at best. This is UNACCEPTABLE. Rumors FLY in schools... EVERY SCHOOL... most are lies and this would be grounds for this type of treatment of our kids? UNBELIEVABLE...

One horrific example would be a kid getting bullied by a group of jack-ass kids, so the group of kids decide to spread a rumor about this kid to get him strip searched... Now the government complies? The school officials and administration complies?

This needs to be HANDED OUT TO PARENTS AT THE SCHOOLS... do it when they drop off their kids, do it when they pick them up... PLASTER IT ON THE WALLS, Plaster it to the trees on the roads that lead to the schools... Hand it out at PTA Meetings, Hey....BACK TO SCHOOL NIGHT IS A GREAT TIME TO BRING THIS UP....(I'll let you know what the parents and teachers say when I hand out copies in EVERY class I attend tonight at Back to school night. )... They better contact their senators....THIS MUST NOT PASS........................

[progressisvirtue]

52. they cant

private schools dont recieve federal funding, thats the only way the government can regulate this, threaten to cut off funding

thats how they regulate everything that the states should have power over (education, roads, healthcare)

[jwirr]

5. Any school that strip searched my child would less one student

that very day. If you ask me this is just another way to destroy our public school systems.

[halobeam]

6. It is absolutely one way to get children into private schools

or homeschooled.

[halobeam]

7. where are the recommendations for this thread?

I'm surprised....

[frylock]

10. spot on!

that's EXACTLY what this is.

[EnviroBat]

48. Any school administration official who stripped searched my kid

Had better have a damn good life insurance policy.

[truebrit71]

50. Exactly!

Either that or a mighty fine health insurance package...

[muesa]

8. In some parts of the country

This is an invitation for a teacher to be branded a pedophile. Does the hysteria ring a bell?

Ever try to unring a bell?

[sandnsea]

9. This should be used against him

Somebody should make an ad that references 3 or 4 sexual abuse cases, and then say that Davis was so desperate to try to score political points that he pushed an ill-considered bill that gives those kinds of teachers the ability to require any student to srip.

[elehhhhna]

18. The John Mark Carr Reemployment Bill

[sandnsea]

23. hehe, there you go

I applaud your marketing savvy. :)

[AzDar]

53. LOL!

[Zodiak]

11. This is just fucking sick!

Well, I have just become a fan of homeschooling.

[halobeam]

12. Now you are giving them something they want.

This hasn't passed in Senate, (I think it's up next week).. but nevertheless.. The MOST effective thing you can do is print out the resolution and start up some MAJOR handing out at the schools.. as far as I know, I still believe we are free to do that, aren't we?

Personally, this bill is written so horribly... What about Kindergarden children who may be too young to say anything at all?? Once in a while you hear a story about a first grader who shot a classmate or something crazy like that. It's true, but I'll be damned if there's a rumor in the school that a first grader has a weapon, and that would allow them to physically look up dresses and down pants of kids THAT young WITHOUT prior notification to parents, parental consent or even parental PRESENCE...

but this doesn't separate any ages... it leaves THAT up to the local administrations discretion. If they don't have policy allowing for this, they stop the federal funding. Its really a recipe for sexual abuse, harrassment and does this include community colleges? ... or should we just say, that wouldn't happen..BLINDLY...


If I had younger kids, I'd be insane right now. Mine are a bit older, but still in school and I'm still insane, but they have mouths and guts and they would talk to me.. did it happen to a school mate, etc..

[Zodiak]

13. Well, we do have that going for us

The Senate has not taken up this bill, yet. So it may not become law. I hope there is comfort in that thought, but I am not counting on it.

However, if this passes, my children will not set foot in a public school, ever.

I went through this sort of thing when I went to school when corporal punishment was still used. A lot of boys got bare ass lickings from a creepy Dean of boys with a wodden paddle with holes in it (and we are talking late 1980's). He enjoyed delivering punishments and was all about authority (and young men's asses, it seemed...we all thought he was a pedophile).

There is no fucking way I would ever subject my children to an environment where they can be predated on by the very people who I have seen abuse the system with my own eyes. There is a veritable guarantee that they will be traumatized by any exercise of this new "law". What kind of person would strip ANY child in their zeal to root out drugs?

Piss on these Republican puke bastards. I would personally beat the shit out of any teacher or administrator that thought it was their business looking at my kids' privates "for their own good" and serve my jail sentence happily. I really do not care what the law says they can do. I would also tell my children to scratch, kick, and bite to make sure that doesn't happen. If they are gonna try it, let em work REALLY hard trying to do it, and maybe it won't be worth the trouble of a student riot and a few missing teeth.

Or I can just keep my children out of that enviorment all together in the interest of the peace. Sorry, but I am not preserving our vaunted tradition of public schooling by sacrificing my childrens' dignity and innocence.

And I don't really want to go to jail.

Sorry for the cursing...it is not directed at you...just the situation

[elehhhhna]

19. smaller government DICTATES the principal can look up my daughters'

undies? OH NO THEY DIDN'T.

[fooj]

14. I won't allow this to happen on my watch.

If they try to pull this shit with one of my students I will defend to the end. If it means losing my job and my credential...so be it. This is ABSOLUTE insanity.

[file83]

38. You will conform. If you don't they'll fire you like you said...so either

way, they get their way. God damn, this is 1984.

[midnight]

40. Thank you!!!! I was wondering what people in the education

field were thinking. First you can't be to friendly toward your students without being concerned that your being to sexual, and know you can strip search. This country has lost its foundation for sanity.

[Joanne98]

16. The John Carr Safety Act!

Send this to Dems Will Win! Let her combine this outrage with the Mariana Islands scandal. In a nutshell, REPUBLICANS ARE CHILD MOLESTERS!

[elehhhhna]

20. dag I didn't see your post when i popped in mine, above...

great minds etc...

[JustFiveMoreMinutes]

17. ".. could take the form .."

I know we always think the worst-case-scenario so no big deal about bringing up strip searches.

When I was in 8th & 9th grade (circa 1970 - 1971, Northeast Alabama), there was more than one time the principals and teachers came through and had us open our lockers to be looked through. I was even patted down by the assistant principal while I was in the library one morning (male teachers for males, female for female).

I didn't really think much of it and there was no uproar (that I recall) from any parents or groups so it was just 'a day in the life of' event. (Of course, I also got a paddling in the 9th grade for talking in class... but hey, thats another thread).

Is it possible those around my age that are now policy makers are looking back on similar events and trying to turn back the clock? Back then we didn't question our leaders, government, or church. Is turning back the clock an attempt by government once again to limit thoughts of inappropriateness from the public?

I'm not big on conspiracy theories or hidden motives, but we've come so far in our personal freedoms and independence, I don't think we should take a step back.. no matter how small and insignificant it might appear to the larger community.

[elehhhhna]

22. Strip search (like dog sniffing search) violates students 4th amendment --

Use of Dog to Search Children For Drugs Prompts ACLU Suit
by Helen Rumbelow

The American Civil Liberties Union yesterday filed a lawsuit against school and police officials in a South Dakota town for using a drug-sniffing dog to search children as young as 6.

The ACLU said it believes this was the first case of a police dog being used to search elementary school children for drugs. The incident not only violated their Fourth Amendment rights but also left many young children "terrorized" in their classrooms, said Graham Boyd, lead ACLU counsel on the case.

In one kindergarten class, the dog escaped from its handler and chased screaming children around the room, the complaint alleges. In another class, it says, an 11-year-old girl who had been scarred in a pit bull attack two years earlier was traumatized when her teacher denied her permission to stand during the search.

http://www.commondreams.org/headlines02/0726-05.htm

[JustFiveMoreMinutes]

25. Hey, whats the statute of limitations...

... can I go back and take my old school district on? (but guess since I've already said I thought nothing of it and have had no lasting impact, I wouldn't have much of a case)

[elehhhhna]

26. DId they sniff the lockers or the students? It's okay to

sniff lockers, just not the kids.

[JustFiveMoreMinutes]

28. Just the lockers and I got a pat-down.

Oh well.

[benEzra]

29. I personally think there may be an attempt to condition kids

into thinking that the Total Surveillance State is normal, by subjecting them to it from childhood until they are adults. Maybe not, but that seems to be the outcome, which scares me.

Someone who grows up conditioned to mass searches without probable cause is one who won't care much about the Fourth Amendment when they're an adult.

[slaveplanet]

30. Yep, that is exactly what this is all about

Davis is a major Military/Industrial/Theological asshat.

Check out his bio:

Davis sits on the Armed Services Committee with assignments on the Subcommittee on Terrorism, Unconventional Threats and Capabilities and the Subcommittee on Strategic Forces. He also sits on the Financial Services Committee with assignments on the Subcommittee on Capital Markets, Insurance and Government Sponsored Enterprises, the Subcommittee on Housing and Community Opportunity and the Subcommittee for Oversight and Investigations.

Davis is also an Assistant Majority Whip and serves as Vice Chairman of the Republican Conference Terrorism Public Affairs Team.

Davis worked as a janitor during high school to help pay the family’s bills. Upon graduation, he enlisted in the U.S. Army and later received a rare appointment(hmmm) to the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, N.Y. While at West Point, Davis studied the Arabic language and the cultures of Southwest Asia and Eastern Europe, and focused his studies on national security and international affairs.

During his Army career, Davis served as an Assault Helicopter Flight Commander in the 82nd Airborne Division, and later ran U.S. Army Aviation Operations for Peace Enforcement between Israel and Egypt. Davis is a former Army Ranger and Senior Parachutist.

In 1992, Davis started his own business, a consulting firm specializing in lean manufacturing and high technology systems integration (outsourcing and robotics?-SP). When elected to Congress, the firm was in its 12th year and has earned the respect of CEOs and competitors alike.

Davis has served his community in Kentucky’s 4th District in many ways, including sitting on the board of the Regional Court Appointed Special Advocate Association (CASA), which helps kids struggling to deal with problems due to abuse and neglect. Davis and his oldest daughter, Becky, have worked as mentors and tutors in inner city Cincinnati schools. Davis spent eight years as a volunteer Chaplain for the Kentucky Corrections Cabinet. He and his wife Pat live in Hebron, Kentucky, with their six children.

[JustFiveMoreMinutes]

31. That crossed my mind too!!!

But I really don't like conspiracy theroies... Trust but Verify is my motto.

Besides, having been raised in that environment and coming out if it unscathed, but I agree, it is very Big Brotherly of them.

[hunter]

21. Got to train the kids from the start for the new fascism...

Yes, officer, anything you say. I have nothing to hide. Here are my papers.

[Auntie Bush]

34. That's not enough says the officer...pull down your pants...prove it!

Oh gee, sorry...someone said the someone told them that someone said you might have some drugs. You understand...we have to protect all your innocent classmates from those nasty drug thugs. I promise not to tell anyone about that you have a cyst just like Rush's.

[Sanity Claws]

24. The Pedophilia Bill

That's how Democrats should rename this bill.
Outrageous. A strip search could traumatize a kid.

[Qutzupalotl]

33. That's a good frame. nt

[hunter]

35. How about the "Pedophile Protection Act?"

"Um, yeah, they said she had drugs..."

As an aside, I was completely incapable of dealing with confrontations with authority when I was a kid. A teacher would confront me after I did some idiot kid thing and I'd simply run away.

"Hey! Come back here!"

Fortunately I think I was mostly good natured and probably amusing to teachers who had seen much worse. There he goes again...

But if anyone had demanded a strip search and confined me in a place I couldn't run, man, I would've been hitting, kicking, clawing, biting and screaming.

There would have been blood.

[midnight]

42. What is the big hoopla over drugs to the point of enfranchising

on our freedoms. No this is much darker than we can wrap our minds around. These little twits want something else.

[angstlessk]

27. Why not just make them all go to school naked? the Catholic priests

who are pedophiles will be behind this 100%...

[chefgirl]

32. There were already plenty of school districts doing this

When I moved to the school district that I live in now, my son was in 6th grade.

On his first day, he was given a handbook of rules and regulations and it stated unequivocally that the school reserved the right to strip search any student at any time without parental consent.

Not wanting to get into a pissing contest, without it being an issue for my son, I didnt confront the Principal about this disgusting little rule.

What I DID do was to tell my son to flatly REFUSE to remove his clothing for any reason and to tell them to call his parents if they had a problem with that. Believe me, most kids would relish the chance to refuse an authority figure if they know their parents will support them after the fact.

Fortunately, Ive always had a very well behaved kid, so it never became an issue, but I had every intention of suing the ass off the school board if it ever came up.

As frightening as this legislation is, its probably almost a good thing that its become national now, because I can imagine there are going to be plenty of parents who will freak out when its actually put into practice.

-chef-

[file83]

36. And so the "Education" for sociological conditioning begins...

...the future is waiting to move forward with these indoctrinated "graduates" - a brave new world.

[midnight]

39. My daughter just said ,that this gives teachers all the more

reason to fondle their students without getting in trouble.......

[Divine Discontent]

41. OKAY SO WHAT ARE WE GOING TO DO? CALL OR WRITE OUR SENATORS

I will write both of mine tomorrow on their websites. I don't have a phone.

I believe a phone call is better, but I write well, and succinctly, so I'll be brutal.

Saying that schools can strip search kids without parents permission (and it'd have to be some SERIOUS proof as in an adult saw them stick drugs or a weapon in their shorts or something) is illegal and perverted!

In fact, I'm going to say just that when I go to this LINK -----

http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm

[halobeam]

49. Not just call the do nothing - representatives.....

The BEST COURSE OF ACTION is print the House Resolution and HAND IT OUT TO PARENTS.

ONLY THE PEOPLE CARE ABOUT THIS.... only the people can DO ANYTHING ABOUT THIS. We need a MAJOR FORCE OF PARENTS AND TEACHERS UNITED ON THIS, in each and every district. Look at who is against this bill ...the National Parents and Teachers Association for goodness sakes.

We walked the streets in MASSIVE PROTESTS to march against the war... we wanted our kids to come home. To WHAT!!!! ???? THIS???? We want them to live AND live a healthy and SAFE life... not to be traumatized, be vulnerable to abuse, embarrassment... damn THEY DESERVE THE FOURTH AMENDMENT AS WE DO.

I also would love to know if this includes Community Colleges? They were active in the '04 elections in record breaking numbers.... they sensed a threat to them... What do you think if THEY GOT handout's and DEMANDED THE PROTECTION of the fourth amendment?!?!?!?! These kids these days SHOWED us what they were made of in 2004.... I believe they would participate!!!!

sorry for all the caps and exclamations... I'm just dead set against this.

[OzarkDem]

43. Yet they can't pass a bill for breast cancer research

One bill, the Breast Cancer & Environmental Research Act, has been bottled up by the GOP leaders in the House & Senate for the 6th year in a row, even though large majorities support it.

They can pass this crap though.

[w4rma]

45. The Republican pervert cops get to "search" naked co-eds law. (nt)

[slaveplanet]

46. it doesn't need to be a cop

It can be a teacher, or any official(whatever that means?), the student need not be arrested(any excuse will do depending on how the "officials" choose to write school policy), it need not even be the target student, they can search them all till they find what they suspect, and they plan to force all schools to write policy into bylaw (under threat of having federal funds yanked).

It the same tactic the feds will use to get cameras in the bathrooms and locker rooms. It's the same tactic they've used to make it a violation (same pubishment as the aggressor), for your child to put up a defense if he/she is brutally attacked. Its the same tactic they've used to allow random police raids with trained nazi attack dogs. It's the same tactic they've used to make students swipe and use biometrics to get meals(no cash allowed).


But you can bank on it, that co-eds will be a major target of laws like this.

[elehhhhna]

47. Clear violation of 4th amendment rights & HI, MICHELLE! E.

(sent the link to a parent/teacher friend)

:pals: the neighborhood busibody assn.'s going global. Watch out!

[liberal N proud]

51. These monsters are shredding the Constitution as fast as they can

They have a dead line and it is simply how fast can they destroy what rights we have left.

[lpbk2713]

54. Debra Lafave is now regretting she was caught .....

she only thought she regretted what she had done until she heard about this.

[halobeam]

55. swift kick

[halobeam]

56. another kick?!