Last reviewed in February 2023 by the Clicklaw Editors.

While you are in school, teachers and school administrators are responsible for your safety and well-being. During this time, the law says that they "stand in the place of the parent or guardian." As well, the school owns the lockers used by students. This means that they can search lockers. However, students do have some expectation of privacy in this area. So, for example, there should be reasonable grounds (a serious/good reason) for a search.

A good starting point to learn about locker searches and other rights at school include:

• Rights Talk: Students and Civil Liberties at School, from the BC Civil Liberties Association, has a chapter on legal rights relating to "search and seizure", which includes school locker searches.

Need more help?

• Lawyer Referral Service, from Access Pro Bono, can help you find a suitable legal professional to resolve your legal problems.
• Child and Youth Legal Centre, from Society for Children and Youth of BC, provides legal help for young people who are experiencing problems.
• Law Students Legal Advice Clinics, from UBC Law Students' Legal Advice Program (LSLAP), provides free legal advice and representation to low income clients.
• Find more help near you on Clicklaw HelpMap.

See our related common questions:

• See all common questions about children & teens
• See all common questions about rights & citizenship

tags

rights of children & teens, rights at school, search & seizure, locker search, student rights