WFHB Bloomington Community Radio
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Last Wednesday the state supreme court ruled that students being questioned in schools must be read their Miranda rights.
The Court justices unanimously agreed that students who are being interrogated by school administrators are owed Miranda rights if there are police present at the interrogation. In a companion ruling, the court unanimously determined that if there are no police present at the interrogation, the student is not owed their Miranda rights. Those rights include the right to remain silent and the right to an attorney.
The state supreme court decision concerns a case where two students graffitied bomb threats on the walls of a Decatur Middle School boys restroom, two years ago. After the incident, the boys were brought in for questioning by school administration. One, named D.Z. in court documents because he’s a minor, was taken by the principal for questioning. And the other, labeled as B.A. in the documents, was brought into a room with Decatur Middle School’s vice principal and three school resource officers, who reportedly encouraged him to confess to the threatening graffiti.
Both boys confessed to vandalizing the restrooms.
The court held that, given that there were three officers in the room during his questioning, B.A.’s constitutional rights were violated. The state supreme court ruled that any elicited confession with school resource officers present would have legal impact on the juvenile. Therefore, the court determined the interrogation was a violation of his constitutional rights and suppressed any confession given during the 15 minute interview.
In D.Z.’s case, however, the court held that since there were no police officers present during his interrogation by Decatur’s principal, he was not owed his Miranda Rights. The court upheld the lower court’s ruling of criminal mischief.
Writing for their unanimous decision, Supreme Court Justice Lorretta Rush wrote, “Miranda warnings protect students—no less than adults at a school—when police place them under custodial interrogation. Custodial interrogation, though, requires police involvement. So when school officials alone meet with students, a clear rule governs: Miranda warnings are not required.”
Monroe County Schools assistant superintendent Andrea Mobley says that the court’s ruling will not change disciplinary policies at MCCSC schools.
Mobley adds that the schools resource officers used by MCCSC schools also undergo an additional 40 hours of training compared to other officers.
School resource officers in the state of Indiana are law enforcement agents placed in schools to maintain student safety.
