If a teacher catchtes you with a cell phone, does she or anyone have thr right to go through it?

dh1977

Yes, they can take your phone. Most schools have a no cell phone policy, which I'm sure you knew of already. I find it hard to believe that your vice principal would really care who you text and why, or that he or she texted your friend as you. Your life is not as interesting to an adult as you think it is. If it really did happen, there is probably not a lot you can do. If you take the phone to school again and have to hand it over, give them the phone and keep the battery.

action bastard

There's a bit of a gray area, since you were at school you don't have the same privacy rights as you would elsewhere. He shouldn't have gone through your phone, but there's probably nothing you can do about it. You need to read your student handbook or whatever has your school's code of conduct and enforcement policies to determine if what he did was against school policy.

Fade To Black

Never surrender any personal property to them. Tell them that you will put it in your locker and take it home but they cannot have it. Give them nothing. Stand your ground.

They think they can walk on water anyway.

The schools have way too much power. Don't be bullied by them.

Eclipse

were you cheating with it? and yes your teacher can take it and yes the principal can go through it but he can not send messages on it. tell your parents..

a g

What he did was invade your privacy. he only had the right to take it away. if it was locked he couldnt of asked you for the password. my brother works for a school district. they can only confiscate it. then only return it to your parents. have you and your parents talk the next higher up, or if they don't do anything , keep going up .

epaq27

if you knew you were not suppose to have then why did you? If it was during a class then he can justify it by stating he was seeing if you were cheating and may even justify sending messages by saying he was trying to catch who else you were talking to in school. point being if you didn't have the phone you wouldn't have this problem. just like when students had to write notes to each other instead of texting a teacher got a hold of it you know they were going to read it.

I'm surprised they never warned you that you were not allowed to have a cell phone in class?

Oh, they did warn you...........

And with recent mass murders in schools is it possible the principal only checked to see what you might have been doing with it in class. I'm just saying, if you knew you were not allowed to have it turned on in class, and yet you chose to disregard that direction, maybe it might seem like the prudent thing to do from his perspective to see what you had been doing with it... no?
If I were in the jury box I would call his actions justified. And I doubt he sent messages to all your contacts.

The answer man

Read your student handbook. If you aren't satisfied, guess what your principal has a boss too. Write your school board, just make sure you are within policy before you do it. Having your parents back you up would be good too. I can say this though, "Why do you need a cell phone at school?"

the light exposes the darkenss

Actually they have the right to take the cell phone. But they do not have the right to use it or to send or recieve messages. That is theft of services even if they did not know it. Tell the principal that as he has commited a felony. By selling services on your cell phone. That you think it is time he gave it back before you sue him for defermation of character, idenity thief, theift of services much much more. They just had a case like that in Arkansas.

VERSAILLES

He violated your privacy and could be sued.

don't know bout teacher looking thru your phone but for teacher to actually text someone with is against the law

old fuzz

Can the teacher seize the cell phone? If that is school policy, then yes.

Can the Vice Principal search through your messages? No, even the underage have privacy rights. He would need your parents permission. Even the police would have to get their permission or a warrant for such a search.

Can the Vice Principal send messages over your phone, pretending to be you? That is so wrong, unethical, and illegal I don't know where to begin.

First, you tell your parents about this.
Two, your parents complain loud and long to the Principal and school board.
Three, if you and your parents want to go that far, retain an attorney and sue for the civil rights and privacy violations.

Adam B

It's debatable whether your teacher even has the right to take your phone to begin with. If the principal takes the phone and sends text messages with it, then he's almost certainly committing the tort of "conversion" against you. Good luck getting anything done about it though.

aplusbequalsee

As much as I dislike this answer,I would have to say yes.
From a legal perspective the school principle can seize and search any item you have in possesion on the school grounds.
The principle however does not have any right to contact any of your contacts,and they cannot impersonate you.
That part would clearly be an abuse of power done so under the color of a State law.
If the principle contacted those persons to gain information of research to find you in a wrong doing that information is not submissable,and cannot be evidence against you.

wcslaw1

I presume you are a minor. If so, your teacher has the same right to search your phone as your locker or purse. The US Supreme Court has previously ruled that the school acts "in loco parentis" (in place of the parent). As you have no right to privacy against your parents (no matter how much you think you do), it can be argued you have no such right against the teacher. As a minor, the courts do not recognize you as having the exact same rights as an adult, regardless of what your friends tell you.

Jack

I doubt you have the money to sue anyone.

Live with it.

GuitarMan

Fight it, with your parents, everryone - make the pig go sell burgers and fries or clean toiltes.

cloudrae

NO! thats invasion of privacy! they cant do that! DUDE!! SUE THE SCHOOL! YOU CAN GET MILLIONS! they are allowed to take it and if they believe that you were doing something bad like gangs,robberry stuff like that then yes they can...but they need a suspicion and a warrant...which is where the polic come in. dude. SUE THEM FOR ALL THEY GOT!

gyro

i would of punched him in the face and said get the f out of my shi t . he has no right doing that. i would go to someone higher up and see if you can get anywhere with it. if not go even higher.

michael kendrick

YO IF A TEACHER TERIES TAKING YOUR PHONE OF YOU THERES NOT A LOT YOU CAN DO U COULD GO MAD AND STARTED SHOUTING BUT THEN YOU WILL BE IN MORE TRUBBLE AND THE TECHER WILL PROBBABLY BE HAPPY IF YOU SAY OK THEN HEIR YOU GO WITH A BIG SMILE ON YOUR FACE THEN IT WINDS THEM UP TRUST M8

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