No menu items!

COSTA RICA'S LEADING ENGLISH LANGUAGE NEWSPAPER

HomeArchiveSchool Staffs Directed To Search Student Bags

School Staffs Directed To Search Student Bags

EDUCATION Minister Manuel Bolaños on Wednesday introduced new guidelines encouraging school administrators to search the bags of students suspected of possessing drugs or weapons.

A student’s backpack, fanny pack, briefcase or any other kind of bag can be searched from the moment the student steps onto a school campus, according to the guidelines.

No law prohibits such searches, according to the Education Ministry. The only laws addressing the subject are broad rights to privacy, according to ministry spokeswoman Carolina Mora.

“The right to life and safety in schools is the most important, more than privacy,” Mora said. “You have to prevent problems before they happen. When you enter a bank, or the courts, or the stadium, they search your bags.”

Although constitutionality concerns have prevented similar provisions in the past, Bolaños said he was motivated to take the action after a school shooting last week left two 11-year-old students injured (TT, Feb. 20). The gun used for the shooting was found two days later in the urinal of the school in Tibás, north of San José, where the incident took place.

The Juvenile Prosecutor’s Office has opened a case against a 17-year-old student at the school whose backpack show ed traces of gunpowder, according to police.

President Abel Pacheco responded to last week’s shooting with an announcement his administration would reintroduce legislation to reform the child welfare code and allow school authorities to search student’s belongings. However, no such legislation had been introduced by press time this week, according to a spokesman at the Legislative Assembly.

The new Ministry guidelines stipulate that if any illegal materials are found, “the presence of the parents or those in charge of the student should be requested immediately and the judicial authorities and administrative police contacted, with the goal of taking the suspect and his goods into custody and filing an appropriate re-port, according to the Penal Process Code.”

The guidelines will go into effect in approximately eight days, according to Mora, once they have been distributed to the country’s approximately 4,000 elementary and high schools.

 

Trending Now

Viral Shot at US Open Captures Paolini in Rare Form

A photo from the 2025 US Open has spread quickly online, pulling in views from tennis fans and casual observers alike. Italian photographer Ray...

President Chaves Downplays Costa Rica’s Security Crisis Amid Record Homicides

President Rodrigo Chaves brushed off concerns about Costa Rica's surging violence during his Wednesday press conference, insisting the security situation "is not as serious"...

Outrage in Costa Rica After Man Suspected of Killing 14 Dogs Is Released

A man identified by the surnames Ulloa Bustos, suspected of killing at least 14 dogs in the rural town of Pocora, was released after...

Costa Rica’s Sibö Chocolate Wins Bronze at Int’l Awards

Chocolate Sibö once again stood out at the International Chocolate Awards, the largest fine chocolate competition based in New York. The Costa Rican brand...

Nicaragua Hosts Historic 2025 AmeriCup Basketball Tournament

The 2025 AmeriCup, the men’s basketball Copa América, tips off this Friday in Nicaragua, marking the most significant international sporting event in the country’s...

Costa Rica National Parks to Measure Tourism Impact

Costa Rica will now be able to measure the impact of tourism in its national parks, thanks to innovative environmental technology from The NeverRest...
Avatar
spot_img
Costa Rica Coffee Maker Chorreador
Costa Rica Coffee Maker Chorreador
Costa Rica Travel Insurance
Costa Rica Rocking Chait
Costa Rica Travel

Latest News from Costa Rica