Sara, a public high school student, was caught smoking
cigarettes in the school bathroom. The teacher who
caught Sara took her to the principal's office, where
a school official questioned her about whether she
was smoking in the bathroom. She denied it. The
principal, not believing her story, decided to take
further action by looking into Sara's purse. He found
a pack of cigarettes as well as a bag of rolling papers
commonly associated with drug use. The official
then decided to thoroughly search Sara's purse. He
discovered a bag of marijuana and various papers that
seemed to indicate that Sara was dealing marijuana.
He placed Sara on suspension and called the police.
A. What protection(s) and amendment(s) are
involved?
B. Was it appropriate for the school official to
examine the contents of Sara's purse?