18-year olds car searched at school without his or parents consent because he’s a gun owner

[OwnTheRide]

From the schools handbook, reasonable suspicion isn’t very hard to prove.

We know what was reported, not the whole story.

Again, I’m not saying this was right and I hope he wins.

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The thing is, policies don't override the law. Anyone can write a policy and it can stand until it's tested in the courts.

Also working against them is the term "reasonable suspicion." It's been pretty well defined in courts and definitely has to be more than a hunch.

Now, as someone mentioned earlier, if there was something that was signed to give pre-consent to searching cars in order to park them on school grounds, that's a whole different ballgame. But I suspect if there was, we'd have heard about it right away.

 

[C3D]

The thing is, policies don't override the law. Anyone can write a policy and it can stand until it's tested in the courts.

Also working against them is the term "reasonable suspicion." It's been pretty well defined in courts and definitely has to be more than a hunch.

Now, as someone mentioned earlier, if there was something that was signed to give pre-consent to searching cars in order to park them on school grounds, that's a whole different ballgame. But I suspect if there was, we'd have heard about it right away.

Parzival is correct that reasonable suspicion is the correct standard. It's from a 1985 Supreme Court (NJ v TLO) case on school searches. Defined as when "there are reasonable grounds for suspecting that the search will turn up evidence that the student has violated or is violating either the law or the rules of the school."

Like I said, I think the school will win this challenge.

 

[byron]

https://saf.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Harrington-v-Crawford-complaint.pdf

He will win this

 

[FP1201]

Similar to driving/parking on a military post/base.

I never needed a reason to search a vehicle. I could search just for the hell of it if I wanted.

I can roll right into Drum by myself, but if I bring my Wife they have to search the Car...
Government took away all the retiree CAC Cards and I don't know what vets without VA Cards are doing, Security did issue me a "Visitors Pass" that I have to renew every year, and for the Wife a "day pass"....ironically, I could roll onto most any Base with a car load just on the Veterans Administration ID, but not the one I worked on for two decades. FWIW: The VA Card has my DoDID number on it same as the CAC and every other ID that's been issued....when we go into the Office at the Gate, having the old (last) Pass they generate a new one pretty quick, still it's a pain in the ass and the perfunctory search/inspection just aggravates the hell out of me a "Trusted Person".

 

[Parzival]

https://saf.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Harrington-v-Crawford-complaint.pdf

He will win this

That’s his side of the story, the school will have their side….the truth probably falls somewhere in the middle.

It’s just not that hard for a lawyer to prove reasonable suspicion…a crime may have occurred.

I hope the kid wins, I hope the school has to change their name to Jack Harrington High School, I just don’t see it though….I hope I’m wrong.