Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: MONDAY, August 21, 1995 TAG: 9508210091
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: A8 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE:
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Two women who filed discrimination lawsuits last year against the Tultex Corp. of Martinsville have settled out of court, according to their lawyer.
Tania Riddle and Linda Spencer both claimed they lost their jobs with the company because they were pregnant.
Riddle and Spencer reached monetary settlements with the company - settlements they've agreed not to discuss.
The lawyer who represented both women, Paul Beers of Roanoke, said his clients were satisfied with the amount of money they received.
Neither Riddle nor Spencer will return to work at Tultex, he said.
The women alleged that Tultex executives eliminated their jobs while they were on maternity leave.
Protecting students' rights
With a new school year beginning soon, Roanoke school administrators are concerned about the growing problems of drugs, weapons and violence. They recently asked City Attorney Wilburn Dibling to brief principals on what they can legally do to address the problems.
Dibling offered advice on several issues: searches, metal detectors, drug testing, suspensions and expulsions.
He also gave the principals a warning: They should be careful to protect student rights.
Students don't shed their constitutional rights at the schoolhouse door, he said. School officials must have reasonable grounds to believe that a school rule has been violated before they can search or discipline a student.
Before searching a student for a weapon, Dibling said, school officials must have a reasonable suspicion that one will be found - and they can't search all the student's possessions looking for other items as they search for a weapon, he said.
"If you suspect a weapon, you can't look in a pillbox, for example," he said.
Dibling said principals should use strip searches only in extreme cases, because they require a strong showing of reasonable suspicion.
If police officers are involved in the search of a student, he said, a stronger showing of reasonable suspicion generally is required because of the possibility of criminal charges.
A new state law requires parents to help schools control their children's behavior. If parents refuse to cooperate with schools in dealing with discipline problems caused by their children, they can be fined up to $500.
Dibling said he doesn't know how effective the new law will be, but it's another tool for school administrators to use.
You've got their numbers
Because of the nature of the job, many police officers choose to have their phone numbers unlisted.
But not in Franklin County.
Sheriff W.Q. "Quint" Overton's policy is that deputies must make their phone numbers available.
Overton understands that some of his employees might have to put up with some annoying calls, but he believes the public is better served by having the phone numbers of Sheriff's Office personnel at its fingertips.
The policy fits with Franklin County, where hospitality and a neighbor-helping-neighbor way of life still prevail.
For instance, Overton said, if a store were robbed in the county and the owner knew a deputy who lived a mile away, it just makes good sense for that owner to be able to pick up the phone book and call that deputy.
When Overton decided to enforce the policy a few years ago, he said two of his deputies paid him a visit to voice their objections.
"I told them if they didn't like it, then they knew where to find the door." he said.
The two men got up, walked to the door, then turned around and sat back down, he said.
by CNB