School demands phone searches Privacy they have heard of itBy Nick Farrell: Monday 10 July 2006, 07:17FRAMINGHAM High School in the land of the free is demanding the right to take students' cell phones and to search them for evidence of criminal activity.The action, which is well above the usual "confiscate the phone until after school", is angering students becasue it infringes their privacy rights.School administrators say that they need to seize phones to gather data on drugs deals and the transfer of stolen property.However, it is a school which is not known for having a drugs problem and many of the students think that excuse is a bit suspicious.One student told the press that the administrators were overreacting and making the school appear more troublesome than it actually is. Others think it was just another way that teachers can harass people they don't like much.As one student said: "People shouldn’t get power based on suspicions, people should be considered innocent until proven guilty. It feels like our rights are stripped away when we walk through the doors."Current federal law allows searches when there is "reasonable suspicion" that a student has contraband. If a copper wanted to do the same thing they would have to get a court order.
