To maintain order and discipline at Geneva and to protect the safety and welfare of students and School personnel, School authorities may search a student, student belongings, student use areas, student lockers or student automobiles under the circumstances outlined below and may seize any illegal, unauthorized or contraband materials discovered in the search.
Administrators, teachers and other professional personnel are permitted to question a student regarding the student’s own conduct or the conduct of other students. In the context of School discipline, students have no claim to the right not to incriminate themselves. No search of a student’s personal belongings should occur without written approval or without the presence of campus Administration or the HOS. Strip searches of students and searches under a student’s clothing to conduct a search are strictly prohibited.
Geneva has the right to monitor or examine any electronic device at the School or at any School-sanctioned activity. Only the HOS or the HOS’s designee will be allowed to search a student’s private electronic device. The School may monitor or examine any postings on the Internet or other electronic medium which includes but is not limited to: text messages and postings on personal web sites; social networking sites, for example Facebook or Instagram; or other private or public domains. Such monitoring includes but is not limited to, all verbiage, pictures, depictions, graphics and videos. Students are responsible for and may be subject to disciplinary action for inappropriate material sent, posted, made available, shown to others, or possessed by the student.
Geneva maintains the right to search any student at any time, or to search a student’s technology/electronic devices, book bag, backpack, purse, desk, locker, car, etc. or any personal belonging brought on School premises. There is no expectation of privacy for any School-owned property, including but not limited to desks and lockers. Students may not lock School-owned property (with the exception of their assigned locker) with personal locks. Instructional rooms and areas of student use are School property and remain at all times under the control of the School; however, students are expected to assume full responsibility for the security and condition of their own work areas. Periodic general inspections of rooms and other areas of the School may be conducted by School authorities for any reason at any time without notice, without student consent, and without a search warrant.
Students are permitted to park on School premises as a matter of privilege, not of right. The School retains authority to conduct routine patrols of student parking lots and inspections of the exteriors of student automobiles on School property. Vehicles parked on School property belonging to students may be searched, if there is reasonable suspicion to believe that they contain illegal or unauthorized articles or materials inside the vehicle. Students shall be responsible for any prohibited items found in their lockers or in vehicles parked on School property. If a vehicle subject to search is locked, the student shall be asked to unlock the vehicle. If the student refuses, the School shall contact one of the student’s parents or local law enforcement officials. If the parent also refuses to permit a search of the vehicle, the School may turn the matter over to local law enforcement officials.
A student's failure to permit searches and seizures as provided in this policy will be considered grounds for disciplinary action. If a properly conducted search yields illegal or contraband materials, such findings may be turned over to proper legal authorities for ultimate disposition.