WATCH: Liz Sandals says school strip searches would never be allowed in Ontario. Alan Carter reports.
TORONTO – Ontario’s education minister said Wednesday that “no school staff” conduct strip searches in the province, after a 15-year-old being strip searched at a high school in Quebec City.
Liz Sandals told reporters at Queen’s Park that each school board has a policy clearly explaining who can perform searches of students.
“The education act in Ontario would not allow teachers or principals to be strip-searching students,” she said.
“Ontario schools do not have school staff conduct strip search. Never. In any school.”
She went on to say that the school board police protocol mandates that when there is an issue regarding illegal drugs, school staff should call the police.
A 15-year-old student at Neufchatel High School in Quebec City was searched last week after officials suspected she may have been selling drugs. The search raised civil rights issues about whether school officials could strip search a student.
Sandals said Wednesday, they can’t. But searches are allowed at the Toronto District School Board.
The TDSB allows personal searches of a student but the school board policy dictates it must be done in the principal’s office, another suitable room, and advises officials not to conduct cross-gender searches. The policy goes on to say that only principals “should be permitted to conduct a search or seize prohibited objects of substances” unless there is an immediate threat.
The policy says school staff should contact police when they “are not comfortable in conducting such search.” The policy does not say how far the search can go, but cautions it should be “minimally intrusive.”
TDSB officials said the policy does not include strip searches, and if a strip search is required, police would be notified.
School staff in Ottawa is clearly prohibited from searching students.
“At no time will a staff member search a student’s person,” according to a policy document by the Ottawa-Carlton District School Board.
“If the principal or designate has reasonable and probable grounds to believe that the pupil is in possession of a weapon or illegal substance, the principal/designate may ask the student to voluntarily display the possession(s), and contact the police.”
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