State News
ACLU files suit in Atlantic strip search case
The ACLU Foundation of Iowa announced today that it has filed an open records lawsuit in district court to force the Atlantic Community School District to reveal what discipline, if any, was imposed on two school officials who conducted a strip search of five high school girls in apparent violation of Iowa law.
On November 6, 2009, the ACLU of Iowa sent an open records request to the Atlantic school district requesting the identity of the two officials involved and a description of any employment discipline they had received. Five days later Attorney Brett Nitzschke of Cedar Rapids responded to the ACLU-IA's request by revealing the identities of the two officials, but he declined to state what discipline they received on grounds that it would violate the privacy of the employees involved.
The privacy stand taken by the school district in resisting the ACLU's records request is peculiar, observed the ACLU of Iowa. "It certainly seems ironic that a school district which neglected to include a prohibition on strip searches in its school policy, and that initially tried to split hairs about what constitutes a "strip search," is now invoking privacy concerns to protect its own actions from public view," said Randall Wilson, Legal Director of the ACLU of Iowa.
Ben Stone, the organization's executive director, explained that they were pursuing the lawsuit because they believe it is essential that school officials take Iowa's strip search law seriously. "The law against strip searches protects the core privacy rights of Iowa school children. Therefore, we feel it is imperative to learn more about how the Atlantic school district dealt with these school officials," said Stone.
The strip searches were conducted last August by two district employees later identified as Paul Croghan and Heather Turpen, in an unsuccessful attempt to locate $100 in cash that had been reported missing by another student who was not searched. Parents of the students who were searched have retained private counsel, but there have been no public reports of a resolution of their grievances.
In 1986, the ACLU of Iowa was instrumental in persuading the Iowa General Assembly to pass the law, Chapter 808A, protecting students from strip searches at school. More recently, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled last year in an ACLU-sponsored case from Arizona that the strip search of a young teenage girl for missing ibupropen was an unconstitutional invasion of student privacy. Safford Unified School Dist. v. Redding, 129 S.Ct. 2633 (2009).
If the school district in Atlantic chooses to resist the lawsuit, the ACLU of Iowa expects the resulting litigation will test the limits of what information in personnel files can be concealed in cases where the public has a legitimate and compelling interest in what transpired.
- State News
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IWD Announces a Deadline Extension for Emergency Unemployment Insurance Benefits
Director Elisabeth Buck announced today that Iowa Workforce Development (IWD) will begin immediate work to reactivate approximately 16,000 Iowans who may now be eligible for additional weeks of Emergency Unemployment Compensation (EUC) benefits now that Congress has passed a deadline extension.
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Agan, Bull and VanEngelenhoven victorious
Craig Agan, Ed Bull and Jim VanEngelenhoven win Republican nominations in local contested races.
- Iowa receives Excellence in Education Award Iowa has been named the winner of a national excellence in education award. Iowa is the recipient of the prestigious 2009 Joseph H. Oakey Excellence in Education Award from Project Lead the Way, (PLTW) Inc., a not-for-profit STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) education program now in more than 3.200 secondary schools nationwide.
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IMPA announced "Motion Picture Stories"
The Iowa Motion Picture Association (IMPA) continues to advocate
for Iowa film workers while the Iowa Film, Television and Video Production Promotion
faces scrutiny in the current legislative session. As part of its efforts to educate
the public and lawmakers about the benefits of filmmaking in Iowa, the IMPA is
producing “Iowa Film Stories,” an Internet video series.
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Iowa Counties named disaster areas
Governor Chet Culver today received confirmation that President Obama has authorized a Presidential Disaster Declaration for 21 Iowa counties impacted by a severe winter storm beginning Dec. 23, 2009. Governor Culver had requested the disaster declaration last month.
- ACLU files suit in Atlantic strip search case
- Culver to participate in Black History Month celebration
- Culver to receive National Service Award
- Renewable energy can bring jobs to Iowa
- Funding coming from Ames
- More State News Headlines
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IWD Announces a Deadline Extension for Emergency Unemployment Insurance Benefits
