Emergency Situations Involving Alleged Student Crime.

This chapter discusses legal ramifications of administrative decisions in schools involving bombs and bomb threats, false fire alarms, searches and seizure, and police investigations in the schools. In the case of bomb threats, the principal and not the police must take the legal responsibility for making the decision of whether or not to evacuate a building and for how long. In the case of false fire alarms, the paper suggests some steps a principal can take to minimize the problem and discourage the abuse. Recent court decisions involving searches of a student's person and locker are also reviewed in depth. Finally, a discussion of the principal's role when police are involved in investigating a student crime points up the importance of protecting students' rights. The paper concludes that a principal should anticipate any legal, physical, and social problems in advance of an emergency by preparing school policy procedures. Thus the principal and his or her staff will be protected against charges of negligence and the rights of each student will be safeguarded. (Author/LDT)