Student searches needed
This week’s campus violence case shocked the nation, as a junior-high school student in New Taipei City was stabbed several times in the neck and chest with a switchblade by a classmate and died the next day after resuscitation failed. It is immensely saddening to read about this senseless loss of life of somebody just starting out in the world.
The tragedy started during lunch break on Monday when a ninth-grade male student allegedly stabbed another student in the neck and chest after a female classmate complained about the way he had spoken to her.
In addition to expressing great sadness, the Ministry of Education and other related agencies should also take a serious look at the potential dangers on campus. They need to address teachers’ freedom to act so they could assure student safety on campus. Teachers should have more leeway to search for and deal with prohibited items and materials that students might possess to maintain safety.
Given the current depressed atmosphere on campus, there are two possible solutions:
First, following the practice of mandatory drug testing and counseling for specific individuals on campus, all those who have records of bullying and have been reported by schools and investigated by experts should be prioritized as specific targets. Before such targets enter campus, they should be searched for prohibited items in a place arranged by the Student Affairs Office — with sufficient consideration for the targets’ privacy.
In terms of the second solution, if an individual refuses to be searched, their guardian should sign a statement to guarantee that he or she has not brought any prohibited items onto campus. If a person is still found carrying prohibited items to school after a statement is signed, the school should ask the police to get involved, and the person’s guardian should also be held responsible.
It is considered a violation of students’ rights for teachers to search their personal belongings. However, schools need to manage the problem of students carrying prohibited items with them. If the practiSce of mandatory search of specific individuals is acceptable to the public, the government should authorize schools to ensure a safe learning environment for teachers and students.
Tai San-nien
Taipei
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