Presumption of innocence lost. This is bullshit. Without reasonable cause they have no right patting someone/anyone down.

The article doesn't say if there was some specific cause of suspicion claimed to justify it beyond the sheriff's "belief". It sounds like a wave of terror in obvious violation of both the Constitution and common sense, resulting in traumatizing a school-ful of students.

I am a high school math teacher and we do this to every student everyday. Before you question all the whats and whys of this. My school is a Lvl 3 DAEP, which is an alternative school for students who have been kicked out of school elsewhere. Most for drugs but some for crimes up to and including murder.

So with that said I think that in my setting that this is appropriate, whereas it is inappropriate elsewhere.

Whether to do it or not is one question, but if the Sheriff is going to do it, VIDEO every one of the pat downs in front of school officials.

All that sheriff was needed was a drug-sniffing dog or maybe enough to cover every entrance to the school. Such dogs can be borrowed from other law enforcement agencies. Should a sniffing dog start carrying on, you have probable cause to search.
At the prison I once worked at, the dog warden (supervisor in charge of outside stuff and rarely needed to chase escapees) would sometimes stand at the entrance with his drug-sniffing dog
to keep visitors and shift-changing officers honest.
Sometimes we were all subjected to incoming same-sex strip searches but we were state prison DOC employees--not high school kids.

Well, they elected the Sheriff. Maybe some did not deserve the actions of this sheriff but the majority voted for him or her. I don't agree with the action but people must pay attention to who they are voting for or this is the result.

I hope the courts find a way to convict this over reach. This police state effort is a move to see how far the statists can go with the public. Just like the pat downs at the airport of babies and shoe removals of the elderly or anyone for that matter. It also is further mind control to the kids: the message loud and clear is : we control you.

The illegality of drugs is a disaster to our society.
They should not be regulated . They should not be taxed. A small percentage of the money spent on the enforcement effort (which is a fortune) should be spent on education. Another small percentage on treatment and the huge savings on the elimination of task forces and prison cells. Could be spent on mental illness and healing those afflicted.

When allowed to be had at a likely very low price.
There will be a huge reduction in violence as no turf battles for dealers and gangs.

You might say you can't have drugs available everywhere . I am sorry to say ...to late. The victims of drugs are increasing . I have great empathy for any reading this comment who lost a family member to addiction. The tragedies are real but most of the time it is a hidden secret that is revealed to late. We are fools if we think this war has been good for our nation.IMHO

I wonder what controversy would have occurred if a student stood up for his constitutional rights and refused to hand over his cellphone or agree to a pat down?

Re: "Use the public, tax-supported public education system to get access." Even that wouldn't matter as much if compulsory attendance laws did not exist. This drug search was a single, bodily invasive violation of students' rights. Forced adherence to government education "standards" in public and private schools are mentally invasive, continuous violations of students' rights, but hardly anyone seems to care.

Setting aside the Constitutional issues and whether prohibition is even good policy, this sounds fishy. Kids at school would most likely stash drugs in a pencil case in their bag or something, not strapped to their legs or abdomen under their clothing.