Persuasive Essay Preliminary Outline (partially completed)

Whatley, I’m really interested in this case. I think that the school probably wasn’t justified in strip searching her.

Arguable Proposition: The Safford Unified School district violated Savana Redding’s rights when they strip searched her. Likewise, the Supreme Court’s decision did not weigh heavily enough the consequences of the school’s actions.

  1. ISSUE: Did the fact that her binder had items in it forbidden in schools make their search of her unreasonable?
  2. Opposite opinion: Yes, it justified the school’s action. When they confiscated her binder they found (insert research here & analysis).
  3. Research:
  4. Commentary on research:
  5. My opinion: No, she had stated that her binder had been loaned to another student. Nothing in the binder presented enough of a danger to the students to justify their actions.
  6. Research:
  7. Commentary on research:
  1. ISSUE: Could this search lead to other, more invasive searching and a general breakdown of personal privacy?
  2. Opposite opinion: No, schools are special places, and students enter school understanding that they do not have the same rights as those in society in general.
  3. Research:
  4. Commentary on research:
  5. My opinion: Yes, weighing against the girl makes a social statement about our rights of privacy as individual citizens. Her case may be cited by others as setting precedence.
  6. Research:
  7. Commentary on research:
  8. ISSUE: Was the fact that this was Ibuprofen 300, rather than a narcotic, a mitigating factor in the search?
  9. Opposite Opinion: Yes, even though it was a relatively innocuous type of drug, it was still a prescription drug, and thus quite dangerous. It is the responsibility parentis ex absencia of teachers to ensure the safety of the student body.
  10. Research:
  11. Commentary on research:
  12. My opinion: No, the fact that it was basically three Advil makes the case that the school massively over-reacted to her and made what was a relatively inane.
  13. Research:
  14. Commentary on research:
  15. ISSUE: Is it unreasonable to request a student to be strip searched?
  16. Opposite opinion:
  17. Research:
  18. Commentary on research:
  19. My opinion:
  20. Research:
  21. Commentary on research:
  22. ISSUE: Is the cost of one student’s humiliation worth the potential safety to all other students?
  23. Opposite opinion:
  24. My opinion
  25. ISSUE: Could you be psychologically harming the student through a strip search?
  26. Opposite Opinion:
  27. My opinion:
  28. ISSUE: Is it possible to discern between something being ‘annoying’ or ‘bothering’ and something that is dangerous to the student body?
  29. Opposite Opinion:
  30. My opinion:
  31. ISSUE: Is hearsay enough to warrant a strip search in cases involving teens?
  32. Opposite opinion:
  33. My opinion:
  34. ISSUE: As a result of her case, will other districts enforce policies that violate student’s rights?
  35. Opposite Opinion:
  36. My opinion:

3/29/06-Persuasive Essay Preliminary Outline sample