The incidents of April 20, 1999 from Columbine High School in Littleton,
             Colorado put the consequences of student privacy in schools into a new
             perspective. Two students, Dylan Klebold and Ryan Harris, who were, for
             all intents, intelligent and well adjusted went on a killing spree. They
             killed and injured several members of the school including a teacher.
             (Rosenberg, 2000) Then they turned the guns on themselves. Their plans
             were grandiose. After the massacre, they intended to flee the country.
             Once the furor had died down, new information showed that the two students
             were generally reticent, withdrawn and subjected to bullying by their
             peers, especially the physically stronger students. Klebold and Harris
             were emotionally and physically abused. Isolated, they developed a hatred
             for their fellow students. Following this heinous incident, the usual
             suspects began opining on how this could have been prevented. One of the
             key points were whether their privacy ought to have been intruded by
             searching their lockers for clues that might have prevented this disaster.
             Many such instances make news these days. Among these: students bringing
             guns to school, the infiltration of the drug culture into schools and
             teenage pregnancies among middle and High school students. At the core of
             all these problems is addressing the issues of any individual's privacy
             versus the common good and safety of fellow students. These issues cannot
             be dismissed offhand. The consequences of adopting one position over the
             other might even have constitutional consequences. The fourteenth amendment
             to the US Constitution protects the right of an individual to privacy. The
             Fourth Amendment protects the student from illegal searches and seizures
             (House.gov, 2003) This essay will address the ethical issues surroundin...