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Ohio Court Considers Privacy Rights in Backpack Search
By: Associated Press
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COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — The Ohio Supreme Court is weighing the constitutionality of a student’s backpack search that authorities say led first to the discovery of bullets and later a gun.
At issue before the high court is whether a second search of the backpack violated the student’s privacy rights, which are generally weaker inside school walls.
The high court has scheduled arguments for Wednesday.
Prosecutors in Franklin County appealed after two lower courts tossed out the evidence because of the second search.
A security official at a Columbus city high school searched the backpack in 2013 after it was found on a bus. The official conducted a second search after he recalled the student had alleged gang ties.
That search led to finding a gun on the student.