Stratford High School (Goose Creek, South Carolina)

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Stratford High School is a high school located in Goose Creek, South Carolina.

Stratford High School
Type	Public High School
Principal	James Spencer
Students	approx 2,800
Grades	9–12
Location	951 Crowfield Blvd. Goose Creek, South Carolina USA
Oversight	Berkeley County School District
Campus	Suburb
Yearbook	Excalibur
Phone	(843) 820-4000
Website	www.berkeley.k12.sc.us/HIGH/shs/shs.htm

Stratford, serves grades 9 through 12, and is a part of the Berkeley County School District. Stratford has about 2,800 students. The "Knight" is the mascot of Stratford. The current principal is James Spencer, who has been principal since May 2004.

1 Alma Mater
2 Clubs and Organizations
3 Drug Raid At Stratford High School
4 ACLU Lawsuit
5 References
6 Surveillance Video of the Raid
7 External link

[edit] Alma Mater

All Hail Thee, Mighty Stratford!
Together We Shall Stand.
We'll Show Our Pride And Spirit
To All Throughout The Land.
With Hopes To Last Forever
As Many Years Go By,
We'll Be Forever Faithful,
All Hail Thee, Stratford High!

[edit] Clubs and Organizations

Academic Team
Art Club
Honors Society
Athletic Trainers
Band
Baseball
Basketball
BETA Club
Broadcast
Cheerleading
Cross Country
Crusaders
DECA
Drama Club
Drill Team
Excalibur Yearbook
FBLA
FCA
FCCLA
Football
French Club
Freshman Board
Gama Phi Knights
Golf
HOSA
Imagine Magazine
Japanese Club
Jazz Band
JROTC
Junior Classical League
Junior Board
Knight Edition
Math Club
Media Club
Model United Nations
NHS
Peer Mediation
Powder Puff Football
Quest
Senior Board
Sentinel Newspaper
SHS Singers
Silent Knights
Skills USA
Soccer
Softball
Sophomore Board
Spanish Club
Speech and Debate
Student Council
Swim Team
Teacher Cadets
Tennis
Track
VICA
Volleyball
Wrestling
Youth Court

[edit] Drug Raid At Stratford High School

The November 5, 2003 police raid of Stratford High School was recorded by both the school’s surveillance cameras and a police camera. The tapes show students as young as 14 forced to the ground as officers in SWAT team uniforms and bulletproof vests lead a drug dog to search their book bags. Only a few students were restrained. The ACLU represents 20 of the nearly 120 students caught up in the raid.

The raid was initiated by the school’s principal at the time, George McCrackin, who resigned shortly after the tapes surfaced on national television. The raid was authorized based on the principal’s suspicion that several students were dealing marijuana. No drugs or weapons were found during the raid and no charges were filed.

As 16-year-old Joshua Ody, one of the students caught up in the raid, put it, “I felt like I had less rights than other people that day.”

On July 10, 2006, a settlement was reached that awarded $1.6 million to the students in the law suit, of which $1.2 million was divided among the students, and the remaining $400,000 to be used in legal fees.^[1]

[edit] ACLU Lawsuit

Following the raid, the ACLU brought a lawsuit on behalf of students’ families charging police and school officials with violating the students’ right to be free from unlawful search and seizure and use of excessive force. The lawsuit demanded a court order declaring the raid unconstitutional and blocking the future use of such tactics, as well as damages on behalf of the students.

In addition to recognizing students’ rights to be free from unconstitutional search and seizure and restricting police tactics, the settlement establishes a $1.6 million dollar fund to compensate the students and help cover medical and counseling costs from the incident.

The cost of the settlement will be paid by the city of Goose Creek, the Goose Creek Police Department, and the Berkeley County School District where the school is located, with assistance from their respective insurance companies.

It is not yet known exactly how many of the nearly 120 students will accept the settlement. The offer came in response to a class-action lawsuit on behalf of 53 students, of which the ACLU’s lawsuit is a part. While both sides have agreed to the terms of the settlement, it will be technically final in July 2006, when it is expected to receive judicial approval.

The ACLU’s clients are: 15-year-old Carl Alexander, Jr.; 15-year-old Rodney Goodwin; 17-year-old Samuel Ody III; 17-year-old Micah Bryant; 15-year-old Marcus Blakeney; 14-year-old Danyielle Ashley Cills; 15-year-old Cedric Penn, Jr.; 14-year-old Elijah Le'Quan Simpson; 14-year-old Jeremy Bolger; 14-year-old Tristan Cills; 14-year-old Arielle Pena; 17-year-old Jalania McCullough; 17-year-old Cedric Simmons; 14-year-old Nathaniel Smalls; 15-year-old Timothy Rice; 15-year-old Shnikqua Simmons; 16-year-old Joshua Ody; 16-year-old De'Nea Dykes; 15-year-old Chernitua Bryant; and 18-year-old Rodricus Perry.

The essential terms of the settlement may be viewed at: http://www.aclu.org/drugpolicy/youth/24952lgl20060407.html

Final Settlement documents may be found at: http://stratfordsettlement.com

Profiles of the students as well as the initial complaint filed by the ACLU may be viewed at: http://www.aclu.org/drugpolicy/gen/10672prs20031215.html