Posts by Haley "Graph" Massara:
Students question constitutional rights
November 17th, 2011From Facebook settings to phone passwords, adolescents tend to be very sensitive about their privacy.
But when it comes to their rights under the Fourth Amendment of the Constitution – which protects them against illegal and unwarranted search and seizure of property – teens’ understanding can be less clear.
According to Joe Herrick, the Granite Bay High School resource officer, and Jarrod Westberg, a government teacher, officers assigned to schools are required to meet a different standard of proof for search of a student than a typical patrol officer would.
“Students can pretty much be searched for anything on campus, if there is a belief that something might happen,” Westburg said.
Typical police officers must demonstrate “probable cause,” which is a reasonable belief that a person
has committed a crime.
In contrast, officers on a school campus need only prove “reasonable suspicion,” which is merely the impression that something illegal may have taken place.
This altered standard of proof is applicable on campus, at school-sponsored events, and even in certain cases in which the perpetrator of a crime only knows the victim through school, Herrick said.
“We want to keep you safe,” he said. You have that right to come to school. So anything you do during that time, you fall under school jurisdiction.”
The lowered standard of proof was felt firsthand by GBHS alumnus Monica Hower, when she was searched by the school administration during her sophomore year.
She was cited for dress code, and, when administrators suspected her of drug use, she was detained in an office and subjected to sobriety tests. Her phone, iPod and backpack were searched.
Hower, currently studying political science at the University of California, Santa Cruz, said she believes the school’s actions were illegal.
However, students sometimes make the mistake of assuming reasonable suspicion – not a more conclusive standard, probable cause – is applicable outside school events.
A 20-year-old Westburg was one such student. He was stopped by a police officer for no apparent reason, and his car was searched.
“As soon as I started learning my rights, it was kind of weird when I realized that how I was searched was illegal,” he said.
Senior Wes Finkemeier had a similar encounter with law enforcement. He and his friends were stopped by officers when they were relaxing in a park in their cars.
Police questioned them, shined flashlights in Finkemeier’s car, and ended up searching one of his friend’s cars. They found contraband, and later arrived at the friend’s house, to inform his parents.
“I was freaked out,” Finkemeier said. “I’d never had a run-in with the cops, and I was just like, get me out of here, I don’t want to talk to you.”
No one involved had charges pressed against them, but Finkemeier said he didn’t think the search of the car was legal.
According to Westburg, police can be stricter when dealing with students, who may be unfamiliar with the Fourth Amendment.
“I think the (police) departments want their presence to be known,” he said. “I think they will search (young people) more often, because (they are) not as likely to know their rights.”
Hower said an officer’s decision to search a given student is also a question of appearance.
“When I (wore) strange outfits, I definitely got a little more heat and discrimination,” she said.
But if a given person is off-campus and understands their rights, they can avoid a voluntary search by refusing to give consent.
“If you’re driving,” Monica said, “and a cop accuses you of something, and wants to search your car, and asks you, you tell him no. Why? Because you can.”
Westburg took a somewhat more cautionary stance.
“You have no idea what might happen (if you say no to an officer),” he said. “But (your) rights are that (you) don’t have to be searched … that’s (your) option.”
Varsity Baseball vs. Woodcreek
April 11th, 2011Monday, Aprill 11, the Granite Bay High School’s varsity baseball team played against the Woodcreek High School’s team. Despite a strong effort from the GBHS team, Woodcreek won out, with a final score of 18-8.
Photo of the Day: Feb 2
February 3rd, 2011
After the final day of the California Academic High School Exit Exam, students relax during lunch.
Photo of the Day: Feb 1
February 2nd, 2011
GBHS sophomores gather outside the cafeteria before the California Academic High School Exit Exam. The mandatory test is required to graduate.
Retro video games prevail
November 15th, 2010What is a video game? Slick, modern titles like Halo and Call of Duty spring to mind, with cutting-edge graphics and intense, lifelike control systems. For the casual player, such complexity is the epitome of gaming.�
But for some Granite Bay High School purists, the beauty of a game lies in its simplicity. Read the rest of this entry “
A take on the Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear
November 15th, 2010I really didn’t know what to expect.
I had dreamed it would be the politically-moderate Woodstock of my generation, a last-minute en mass pilgrimage of politically unified young people simply for the purpose of proving their own existence. It would be something I’d remember for the rest of my life, something they’d write books and make documentaries about for generations to come.
But really, I just hoped the Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear would be worth missing a day and a half of school. Read the rest of this entry “
Zombie trend
October 5th, 2010
Amber Bianchi and friends attended a recent zombie prom in Sacramento.
A gruesome pandemic sweeps the world. Many are infected, and walk the earth as hideous, disfigured cannibals, attacking loved ones and further spreading the plague.
After that, they go to dances.
The deb-8-ing heats up again
September 13th, 2010 Two years ago, the divisive Proposition 8, which formally defined marriage as between a man and a woman, passed with 52 percent voter approval. Furious gay rights groups filed for a repeal, and, over time, the gay marriage debate quieted.
But on Aug. 12, Judge Vaughn Walker declared Prop. 8 unconstitutional, stirring emotions on both sides. Not long after, a stay was put on Walker’s ruling, banning same-sex marriages until further appeal.
Because Prop. 8 was voter-approved, conservative organizations have tried to legally mandate Governor Schwarzenegger and Attorney General Jerry Brown to defend the law in court. On Sept. 2, that mandate was denied. Read the rest of this entry “
Drowning in embarassment
September 13th, 2010Give up.
I’m not going swimming. I never will. I don’t have a skin condition, and never mind that my disturbingly processed hair will dye the pool purple. I just plain old hate to swim.
This summer I was hounded by my friends to get in the water, but preferred instead to bake on the pool deck like the pathetic hydrophobe I had slowly become. What spoiled swimming for me? Read the rest of this entry “
Tandoori Night food review
May 25th, 2010On 1420 East Roseville Parkway, a few blocks from Sunsplash and down the street from In-N-Out, lies a departure from the humdrum of suburban chain restaurants. Its only advertisement is its unassuming neon sign, reading simply, ‘Tandoori Night’. But the ever-present crowd of locals and foodies – and the smell, my god, the mouth-wateringly vibrant smell of the place – speaks to its greatness. Read the rest of this entry “
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