Background Check System Used By Texas Public Schools Challenged In Court
By Vince Leibowitz on Dec 1, 2008 in Before The Courts ![[Post to Twitter]](/wp-content/plugins/tweet-this/icons/tt-twitter.png){kind=icon}
Tweet This Post 
A central Texas couple is suing Austin’s Lake Travis Independent School District to challenge the constitutionality of computerized check-in systems designed to check all visitors to school campuses against databases of registered sex offenders.
From KTRE:
Yvonne and Larry Meadows say the process violates their privacy and other rights. They’re suing the Austin area’s Lake Travis school district over a computer system that checks visitors against a sex offender database. The system scans their driver’s licenses, with visitors who don’t consent being turned away.
The Meadowses say the computerized checks violate their constitutional rights, including freedom to associate with their children at school and freedom from unreasonable search and seizure. Neither are listed in the national sex offender database.
Yvonne Meadows said she objected to Bee Cave Elementary School scanning her license because she was concerned about identify theft and a private company collecting her personal information.
The federal lawsuit is believed to be among the first legal challenges to the policy in Texas.
Frankly, we’re wondering exactly why it took so long for someone to challenge this law. Legislation was passed by the 80th Texas Legislature in 2007 allowing this practice. We’ve thought it was on dubious constitutional grounds from day one.
Tweet This Post ![[Post to Ping.fm]](/wp-content/plugins/tweet-this/icons/tt-ping.png){kind=icon}
Ping This Post
Comments
Feel free to leave a comment...
and oh, if you want a pic to show with your comment, go get a gravatar!