Savana Redding was a 13-year-old honor student in the 8th grade in Safford, Arizona. One of her friends got caught with ibuprofen at school and stated that she got it from Savana. Savana was called to the principal’s office where she denied possessing or giving any pills to anyone at school. Her backpack was searched and nothing was found.
She was wearing pants and a shirt, both without pockets. She was told to go into the nurse’s office where, in the presence of two female school personnel, she was strip-searched. She was not touched by anyone, but had to pull her underwear out displaying her private areas. Again, the search produced nothing. During the two-hour ordeal, Savana’s mother was never called and advised of the situation.
Savana (from MySpace page)
Savana and her mother sued the school district for violating her right to be free from unreasonable searches. In July, 2008, a federal court agreed with Savana stating that “It does not take a constitutional scholar to conclude that a nude search of a 13-year-old girl is an invasion of constitutional rights. More than that: it is a violation of any known principle of human dignity.”
Redding v. Safford Unified School District (9th Circuit Court of Appeal, 2008).
