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In a 2-1 ruling, three justices from the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that three school officials from Safford Middle School in Arizona, including Vice Principle Kerry Wilson, nurse Peggy Schwallier, and administrative assistant Helen Romero, did nothing wrong when they forced a 13-year-old student to disrobe for a strip search. The ruling comes in a case in which the 13-year-old girl was ordered to take off her clothes and move her underwear, exposing herself and areas that would normally be covered by the underwear — without prior notification of, or in the presence of, a parent. Vice Principle Wilson was not present in the room at the time; the female nurse and female administrative assistant conducted the search behind closed doors.

What could a 13-year-old girl possibly have done to be subjected to such treatment? She was suspected of being in possession of (are you ready for this?) Ibuprofen! The suspicion was based solely on conversations with two other middle school students. As it is the school district's policy that all medications, even over-the-counter preparations, be administered by school officials with the written consent of parents, school officials took it upon themselves to implement a strip search.

Citing overly-used "safety concerns" school officials claim their policy states that they "have the right to search and seize property, including school property temporarily assigned to students, when there is reason to believe that some material or matter detrimental to health, safety, and welfare of the student(s) exists." Therefore, two of the justices from the appellate court decided that the school district employees had "reasonable grounds for suspecting that the search of the girl's person would turn up evidence that (the girl) had violated or was violating either the law or the rules of the school." It didn't. She wasn't.

But her person was violated, and in a sexually abusive and traumatic manner. Had anyone done this to the girl outside of the school building they would be in jail for sexual misconduct. Why is it that school officials can get away with this outrage? It’s egregiously hypocritical to cite "health, safety, and welfare of the student" and then turn around and have a girl of a tender age disrobe in front of witnesses, causing her much emotional distress and humiliation. And wouldn't you think that two women would feel a bit sympathetic and responsible for inflicting such a horrific episode on a child?

And lest you think this is an isolated incident, think again. In Kennebec, Maine, a 15-year-old was forced by school authorities into disrobing from the waist up while they conducted a search for drugs. In an out-of-court settlement, school officials agreed to pay the girl $15,000 for "mental anguish, emotional distress, anxiety, embarrassment, humiliation, worry, fear of school officials, violation of her body and violation of her civil rights."

Perhaps both of these cases are aberrations. But then again, perhaps not. Both these girls, their families, and schoolmates will be easily intimidated in the future by authoritarian behavior from public officials. And that is exactly what public schools are supposed to do: turn students into docile subjects suited to a life in an authoritarian society. As libertarian author Sheldon Richman has explained, the model on which the U.S. public school system was built was that used in authoritarian Prussia in the 19th century. The Prussian system, Richman noted in an article for the Future of Freedom Foundation, was heavily influenced by German philosopher Johann Fichte. According to Fichte, "The schools must fashion the person, and fashion him in such a way that he simply cannot will otherwise than what you wish him to will."

In other words, the Prussian school system (and, by extension, the U.S. school system) is intended to quash individuality and turn out citizens who are afraid to question authority and assert their rights. Isn't that exactly what the schools in Maine and Arizona have done where these two innocent girls are concerned?

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