Pubdate: Tue, 09 Mar 2004 Source: Post and Courier, The (Charleston, SC) Copyright: 2004 Evening Post Publishing Co. Contact: http://www.charleston.net/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/567 Author: Allison L. Bruce, Of The Post and Courier Staff Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/topics/Goose+Creek DRUG RAID LAWSUITS COMBINED Mediation Planned in Student Cases Two federal lawsuits stemming from November's drug raid at Stratford High School have been combined into one as attorneys start gathering evidence to attempt mediation to resolve the cases. Combining the cases prevents duplication of effort in gathering the same information for the cases, which were filed in federal court for two separate groups of 18 and 20 students against the city of Goose Creek, its police department and Berkeley County School District. Those students were in the hallway when Goose Creek police came into the school to conduct a drug search, some officers with guns drawn. Students were told to lie down on the floor and some were handcuffed. Police used a drug dog to search book bags. No drugs were found, and no arrests were made. The raid drew national criticism after a portion of videotapes of the incident was released to the media. Nearly 20 attorneys crowded into the Hollings Judicial Center Monday to talk about where matters stood in the cases. Attorneys for the students said they had not received the videotapes from the raid. Duke Highfield, an attorney for Berkeley County schools, said student privacy laws dictated that the district could not release the surveillance tapes until all of the students in the hallway had been identified and contacted about the tapes, not just the plaintiffs. District Judge P. Michael Duffy said a magistrate could set rules for providing the tapes to the plaintiffs without threatening student privacy. "It sounds to me like everybody has the same need -- more information," Duffy said. "I see no reason an exchange of information can't take place immediately." He told both sides that he expected them to share the information they have with the opposing side, so they can determine what else needs to be done. He expects that to happen in the next 30 to 45 days. Attorney Donna Givens, representing the city of Goose Creek and its police department, called for mediation from a federal magistrate as the best way to resolve the lawsuits. "We have been willing to mediate this case from the beginning," she said. Duffy will turn the case over to a magistrate for the mediation. "If all that fails, I'll be back with you at a later date," he told the attorneys. - --- MAP posted-by: Richard Lake