Really? Reeally?

Yesterday, in my Political Philosophy class, we discussed a Supreme Court case being heard right now. Maybe you've heard about it. The case involves a 13-year-old girl who was strip-searched by two female school employees due to an unsupported claim by a fellow classmate that she was distributing ibuprofen. Slate has a great piece on the case that's worth the read just to get a sense of the absurdity of Supreme Court justices being involved in anything that involves youthfulness.

But my issue with the case is not whether the girl's mother should've been called first (she wasn't), or whether another type of search would've been more appropriate (obviously), but why we live in a society in which strip searching a 13-year-old girl in middle school for drugs is even within the realm of the possible. Or imaginable. I'd prefer my schools not to bear striking similarities to maximum-security prisons, thanks.

The system is broken, guys! Why are we discussing painting the cogs of a broken machine instead of fixing it? Children and teenagers aren't wild lunatics who can only be contained by magnetically locked doors, security guards, and strip searches. When those things become necessary, someone should take a good, hard look at what's going on and, let's be honest, throw money at the problem until class sizes are smaller, teachers are motivated, supplies are unlimited, and schools are exciting places to be inside.

Just sayin'.