Opinion ID: 789707
Heading Depth: 4
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: The Scope of the Searches of the Female Students

Text: 24 The searches of the female students also violated the Fourth Amendment. Because the searches of the female students were similar in many respects to those performed on the male students, we only briefly describe the factors that render the searches unconstitutional. As with the male students, the female students did not consent to the search, nor was there reason to suspect that any particular student was responsible for the alleged theft. The approximately five female students were required to lift their shirts and remove their pants. The girls, however, unlike the males, did not have to remove their underwear. On the other hand, unlike any allegation in regard to the search of the males, the female students were required to undress in front of one another. The fact that the searches of the females did not occur in the presence of only school officials, but rather in the presence of other students, further supports the conclusion that the searches were unreasonable. See Reynolds v. City of Anchorage, 379 F.3d 358, 365 (6th Cir.2004) (in analyzing the reasonableness of a strip search occurring in a juvenile group home, the court found it important that the search was conducted in a way designed to minimize its intrusive effect and that the search took place in the presence of only a single staff member). 25 The fact that the searches of the females were highly intrusive, the fact that the searches occurred in the presence of other students, the lack of consent, the absence of individualized suspicion, and the fact that the searches were undertaken to find money, taken together, demonstrate that the searches performed on the females in this case were not reasonable. The searches accordingly violated the Fourth Amendment.