Final answer:
Law enforcement may conduct searches without a warrant in special circumstances or with probable cause, while school officials need only reasonable suspicion to search students, as defined by landmark cases like Terry v. Ohio and New Jersey v. T.L.O.
Step-by-step explanation:
The Fourth Amendment protects individuals from unreasonable searches and seizures and states that warrants are to be issued only with probable cause. Law enforcement officers can only search a person or property legally when they have obtained a warrant, except under certain circumstances, such as with the owner's consent, exigent circumstances, or if the items are in plain view. The application of the Fourth Amendment in schools is slightly different; according to the ruling in New Jersey v. T.L.O., public school officials need only a reasonable suspicion to conduct a search, not probable cause.
Court rulings, such as Terry v. Ohio and New Jersey v. T.L.O., have further clarified the application of the Fourth Amendment. In Terry v. Ohio, it has been ruled that police may stop and frisk a person if they have reasonable suspicion of criminal activity and believe the person is armed and dangerous. New Jersey v. T.L.O. specifically addresses the standards that apply to school officials, allowing them to search a student's belongings with reasonable suspicion, rather than requiring probable cause.