# Is this legal? Planned K-9 search of a K-12 school in Michigan. **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [November 30, 2015, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-legal-planned-k-9-search-of-a-k-12-school-in-michigan/739036 "2015-11-30T17:36:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2015, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-legal-planned-k-9-search-of-a-k-12-school-in-michigan/739036/41 "2015-11-30T22:04:06Z")
> [@PSXer](#): > > I don’t have a problem with this > > Imagine if it saves one student’s life who would have died from a marijuana overdose if the dog hadn’t found it in his coat. Wouldn’t you say it’s worth it Not sure if sarcastic or serious. ---
**Author:** ![davida03801](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b5e925/32.png) [@davida03801](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davida03801)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2015, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-legal-planned-k-9-search-of-a-k-12-school-in-michigan/739036/42 "2015-11-30T22:18:49Z")
Perhaps they are looking for bed bugs ? ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2015, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-legal-planned-k-9-search-of-a-k-12-school-in-michigan/739036/43 "2015-11-30T22:24:25Z")
> [@Boyo\_Jim](#): > > If the OP is concerned, give your local ACLU a call after work. If they’re concerned, they can try for an injunction to stop it. If they’re not, there’s not anything else I can suggest. As others have said, it’s probably legal, but a really bad and offensive idea. If we could get most of the students to stay home in protest, that might be fun. ---
**Author:** ![FlikTheBlue](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fliktheblue/32/10972_2.png) [@FlikTheBlue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FlikTheBlue)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2015, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-legal-planned-k-9-search-of-a-k-12-school-in-michigan/739036/44 "2015-11-30T22:32:59Z")
If I was a parent of a student in this school, I would find this highly objectionable. I will take the word of the posters that have stated this is legal. What I would do is take this up with the school board and ask that the school administrator responsible for this be fired. If the school board refused to do so, I would take it to the public and try to get candidates to run against the current school board members. Something about this just rubs me the wrong way, and I would be very vocal about it come election time. ---
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2015, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-legal-planned-k-9-search-of-a-k-12-school-in-michigan/739036/45 "2015-11-30T22:37:26Z")
> [@MandaJo](#): > > Having been in education a long time, my instinct is that that email is to make sure STAFF don’t show up with anything, which would be awkward and more complicated. Bingo. But yeah, as some other posters have mentioned, legal or not, I have problems with this. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2015, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-legal-planned-k-9-search-of-a-k-12-school-in-michigan/739036/46 "2015-11-30T22:58:17Z")
> [@Procrustus](#): > > Why not? The email doesn’t say anything about that. I’d forward it to every student I had email address for, and let them spread the word and organize a protest. > > Then I’d probably start a search for a job at a school that didn’t do this kind of crap. Jesus. And you’d be out of a job unless you found some odd private school. It’s pretty much how schools are run. And they aren’t going to take too kindly to you undermining what they consider to be a legitimate precaution, so it would be hard to get a job even if you relent. Your expectation of privacy in school is pretty low. I remember when the craze was to make everyone bring transparent backpacks. I know that the bathroom stalls had no doors, and, before the pedophilia craze, locker rooms even had windows that let the (same sex) coach see in and see watch what was going on from their office. Not that I would put it past students to see the obvious loopholes, like stashing something elsewhere where they can’t identify who it belongs to. Or keeping your contraband on your person–I do believe they can’t go so far as to sniff you. Edit: All these people freaking out. I’m not used to being the one realist. Seriously guys. This is absolute normal. You’re not going to get anyone riled up about this. There is no way this is going on in a community of people who would get upset about this stuff. ---
**Author:** ![Grumman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/43a26b/32.png) [@Grumman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grumman)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2015, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-legal-planned-k-9-search-of-a-k-12-school-in-michigan/739036/47 "2015-11-30T23:22:07Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > Seriously guys. This is absolute normal. No, it’s not. It might be _common_ in the United States, but that doesn’t mean it’s not fucked up. ---
**Author:** ![madsircool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madsircool/32/3432_2.png) [@madsircool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madsircool)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2015, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-legal-planned-k-9-search-of-a-k-12-school-in-michigan/739036/48 "2015-11-30T23:36:48Z")
> [@PSXer](#): > > I don’t have a problem with this > > Imagine if it saves one student’s life who would have died from a marijuana overdose if the dog hadn’t found it in his coat. Wouldn’t you say it’s worth it People die from consuming weed; but nt from smoking it. [http://topekasnews.com/edible-marijuana-candies-kill-9-colorado-12-coachella/](http://topekasnews.com/edible-marijuana-candies-kill-9-colorado-12-coachella/) ---
**Author:** ![madsircool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madsircool/32/3432_2.png) [@madsircool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madsircool)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2015, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-legal-planned-k-9-search-of-a-k-12-school-in-michigan/739036/49 "2015-11-30T23:38:00Z")
> [@Procrustus](#): > > As others have said, it’s probably legal, but a really bad and offensive idea. If we could get most of the students to stay home in protest, that might be fun. Would you be all self-righteous if they found a weapon or two? ---
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2015, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-legal-planned-k-9-search-of-a-k-12-school-in-michigan/739036/50 "2015-11-30T23:45:13Z")
> [@madsircool](#): > > Would you be all self-righteous if they found a weapon or two? In fact, I would. You want to search kids for weapons or drugs or whatever, fine, make your case against the kid you want to search. Don’t do a random or wholesale search. ---
**Author:** ![madsircool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madsircool/32/3432_2.png) [@madsircool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madsircool)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2015, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-legal-planned-k-9-search-of-a-k-12-school-in-michigan/739036/51 "2015-11-30T23:57:58Z")
> [@Frank](#): > > In fact, I would. You want to search kids for weapons or drugs or whatever, fine, make your case against the kid you want to search. Don’t do a random or wholesale search. 1)No kids are being searched 2)Its been legal for years to search lockers 3)One way to keep kids from bringing weapons to school is to search for em…or is it better to clean up the carnage afterward? 4)Weed is really bad for the developing brain > **[Recreational Pot Use Harmful to Young People’s Brains](https://time.com/61940/recreational-pot-use-harmful-to-young-peoples-brains/)** > > A new study from medical researchers at Harvard and Northwestern shows that 18- to 25-year-olds who smoke marijuana—even just recreationally!—had marked abnormalities in areas of their brains that regulate emotion and motivation > **[Marijuana May Hurt The Developing Teen Brain](https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2014/02/25/282631913/marijuana-may-hurt-the-developing-teen-brain)** > > Studies show regular marijuana use by teens — once a week or more — affects areas dealing with memory and problem solving. That can hurt cognition and academic performance. ---
**Author:** ![Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eyebrows_0f_doom/32/3119_2.png) [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eyebrows_0f_Doom)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2015, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-legal-planned-k-9-search-of-a-k-12-school-in-michigan/739036/52 "2015-12-01T00:03:26Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > Not sure if sarcastic or serious. I will never understand how people can read **PSXer** ’s posts and not realize he is joking. Every. Single. Time. ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2015, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-legal-planned-k-9-search-of-a-k-12-school-in-michigan/739036/53 "2015-12-01T00:10:36Z")
> [@madsircool](#): > > 1)No kids are being searched > > 2)Its been legal for years to search lockers > > 3)One way to keep kids from bringing weapons to school is to search for em…or is it better to clean up the carnage afterward? > > 4)Weed is really bad for the developing brain > > [Recreational Marijuana Smoking Causes Abnomralities in Young Brains | TIME](http://time.com/61940/recreational-pot-use-harmful-to-young-peoples-brains/) > > [Marijuana May Hurt The Developing Teen Brain : Shots - Health News : NPR](http://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2014/02/25/282631913/marijuana-may-hurt-the-developing-teen-brain) I’m no expert, but I have never heard of “weapons searching dogs.” They can find bombs, or drugs. But, as far as I know, not guns. Or knives. Yes, weed is bad for the developing brain. There a few missing steps from that to “let’s search the kids backbacks” Getting caught with drugs on campus would probably do a lot more damage to a kid’s future than actually doing the drugs would. Let’s leave this problem to the parents, doctors, social workers, and our good friends at Partnership for a Drug Free America. I’ve had a few kids in public schools, and no school ever pulled this kind of stunt. If they had, they would have found a motivated adversary and thorn in their side for a long time to come. ---
**Author:** ![madsircool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madsircool/32/3432_2.png) [@madsircool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madsircool)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2015, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-legal-planned-k-9-search-of-a-k-12-school-in-michigan/739036/54 "2015-12-01T00:13:48Z")
> **[Gun Dogs: The rise of firearms-sniffing K-9s](https://www.police1.com/police-products/firearms/articles/gun-dogs-the-rise-of-firearms-sniffing-k-9s-qEDFLofX4TeAsGY1/)** > > One of the newest trends is the use of a well-trained K-9 partner to detect firearms Dogs are trained to search for guns and ammo And knives apparently [http://www.dogster.com/forums/behavior\_and\_Training/thread/693300](http://www.dogster.com/forums/behavior_and_Training/thread/693300) ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Feldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lord_feldon/32/341_2.png) [@Lord\_Feldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Feldon)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2015, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-legal-planned-k-9-search-of-a-k-12-school-in-michigan/739036/55 "2015-12-01T00:16:24Z")
> [@Procrustus](#): > > I’m no expert, but I have never heard of “weapons searching dogs.” They can find bombs, or drugs. But, as far as I know, not guns. Or knives. Dogs _can_ be trained to search for guns (or pretty much anything else), but I don’t think it’s very common in local police departments. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Bravo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_bravo/32/493_2.png) [@Johnny\_Bravo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Bravo)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2015, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-legal-planned-k-9-search-of-a-k-12-school-in-michigan/739036/56 "2015-12-01T00:29:59Z")
> [@Procrustus](#): > > Getting caught with drugs on campus would probably do a lot more damage to a kid’s future than actually doing the drugs would. Not really. Getting caught with a little weed is going to result in a misdemeanor charge, and a judge isn’t going to be interested in tossing a kid into juvie over it.\* What will happen is that it’ll trigger some interventions from the aforementioned parents, doctors, social workers, and so on. Smoking weed where it’s illegal is kinda dumb, but \*bringing it to school \*is batshit stupid. \*YMMV by state and district; my first-hand experience is limited to one district in one state. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2015, 12:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-legal-planned-k-9-search-of-a-k-12-school-in-michigan/739036/57 "2015-12-01T00:37:38Z")
> [@madsircool](#): > > People die from consuming weed; but nt from smoking it. > > [Edible Marijuana Candies Kill 9 in Colorado, 12 at Coachella - Topekas News](http://topekasnews.com/edible-marijuana-candies-kill-9-colorado-12-coachella/) Read the story at [Huffington Post](http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/04/18/pot-deaths-colorado_n_5175876.html?ncid=fcbklnkushpmg00000013&ir=Politics) that’s linked in the story. Topeka News wildly exaggerated and added false details. ---
**Author:** ![madsircool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madsircool/32/3432_2.png) [@madsircool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madsircool)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2015, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-legal-planned-k-9-search-of-a-k-12-school-in-michigan/739036/58 "2015-12-01T00:38:38Z")
> [@running\_coach](#): > > Read the story at [Huffington Post](http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/04/18/pot-deaths-colorado_n_5175876.html?ncid=fcbklnkushpmg00000013&ir=Politics) that’s linked in the story. Topeka News wildly exaggerated and added false details. But people still die. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2015, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-legal-planned-k-9-search-of-a-k-12-school-in-michigan/739036/59 "2015-12-01T01:10:46Z")
It is very legal, especially if it is at the behest of the administration, which it likely is. It also isn’t in the least “fucked up.” Students on campus have virtually zero “expectation of privacy” and schools have a _much lower_ standard for search & seizure. The Supreme Court has held that schools have an over-riding interest and can have the entire chess team drug tested on a whim if they so desire. ---
**Author:** ![Chihuahua](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/dec6dc/32.png) [@Chihuahua](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chihuahua)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2015, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-legal-planned-k-9-search-of-a-k-12-school-in-michigan/739036/60 "2015-12-01T02:41:08Z")
This happened in my school all the time. Nobody seemed too distressed about it. As far as I’m concerned, if they brought drugs to school and got caught, it’s their own damn fault. And if you don’t like it, feel free to pull your child out of school. They won’t be missed. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-legal-planned-k-9-search-of-a-k-12-school-in-michigan/739036.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-legal-planned-k-9-search-of-a-k-12-school-in-michigan/739036.md?page=4)