The Right to Privacy

Kemper, Bitsy. The Right to Privacy. Part of the Understanding the United States Constitution series. 2015. 112p. ISBN 978-14777506-6. Available at 342.73 KEM on the library shelves.

The right to privacy does not appear anywhere in the United States’ Constitution, yet courts have over the years interpreted many of the amendments as providing several guidelines against government overreach in people’s lives. During the colonial period, British soldiers could and often searched colonists’ homes and lodged there without compensation. In reaction, the framers of the Constitution added the Bill of Rights to protect the new nation.

Aside from exploring the historical roots of the right to privacy, this book explores issues related to video cameras in schools and in public, the legal searching of students’ lockers and possessions, the right of schools to drug test athletes, access to medical and educational records, garbage collection, and metal detectors at school entrances. Federal and state law cases are examined in relation to these topics. Tort is introduced and explained, and the future of privacy in a surveillance age is discussed.

Every student should read this book to understand their rights and their obligations. Only by being informed can they know whether schools are violating their rights.