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Bar News - October 1, 2000 Zero Tolerance Policies, Locker Search Part of LRE’s Mock Trial A DRUG SCANDAL scenario similar to those that tore medals from competitors’ necks at the 2000 Summer Olympics is being used for this year’s Mock Trial Competition. The NHBA-sponsored Mock Trial Competition annually involves hundreds of students from several dozen schools statewide. Students from middle school through high school form teams that spend several months preparing to argue both sides of a controversial case. Students learn about constitutional and legal issues, courtroom procedure, public speaking and teamwork as they undergo the grueling challenge of preparing for a trial. The students, supervised by teachers and volunteer lawyers, research facts to develop both sides, then prepare for trial with the students playing the roles of attorneys, plaintiffs and witnesses. Volunteers from the Bar serve as presiding judges and on scoring panels during the two rounds of statewide competition in middle and high school categories. The high school state champion earns the right to compete in the national Mock Trial Competition in the spring. This year’s case, Alex Strusa v. Principal Skinner, potentially raises many legal issues: The plaintiff, a former star athlete with a high grade point average, is suing his high school principal for libel and breach of contract, seeking damages for loss of earnings and for medical expenses related to depression. The plaintiff contends that his hopes for attending a prestigious college on a full scholarship were dashed when the school released to colleges a transcript noting a five-day suspension for violating the school’s zero-tolerance drug policy. An athletic-performance-enhancing drug was found in the student’s unlocked locker when the principal, who was acting on a tip from an undisclosed source, searched it. The disclosure violated a memorandum of agreement the student signed after he appealed the school’s decision to suspend him.
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