The Boulder Valley School District has agreed to limit searches of students’ cellphone text messages after the ACLU said the practice violated students’ privacy.
The American Civil Liberties Union of Colorado accused administrators at Monarch High School of breaking the law after they checked text messages of students suspected of smoking on school property last spring. Administrators thought the students were texting each other to provide the same story when questioned, district spokesman Briggs Gamblin said Monday.
The agreement calls for administrators to get permission from a student or a parent before checking messages. If an administrator thinks text messages pose a threat to safety, they can be checked without permission. Administrators must fill out a checklist that spells out the minimum standards that must be met to conduct a search.
