WILMINGTON, Del. (AP) - A Delaware school district is changing policies after the search of a student led to a lawsuit.
WDEL-FM reports (https://bit.ly/2oQt9TB ) the Brandywine School District in Wilmington will no longer search students and their personal property without parents or guardians present. The new policy goes into effect with the 2017-18 school year.
In 2015 the search of Brandywine High School junior Joe Wahl and his backpack uncovered a credit card knife. Whal was suspended under Delaware’s zero-tolerance policy and had to miss a swim championship and marketing competition.
Wahl’s father sued the district a year later alleging the search was unconstitutional as his son was mistaken for another student. The two parties reached a settlement in January 2016 and administrators say the district has since worked to communicate the rights of students.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.