An Act To Allow Children's Residential Care Facilities To Ensure the Safety of Their Residents

Sec. 1. 22 MRSA §8108  is enacted to read:

§ 8108.  Search of property

An administrator or other staff designated by an administrator of a children's home or children's residential care facility may search a resident's backpack or travel bag upon the resident's return to the home or facility if there are reasonable grounds for suspecting that the backpack or travel bag contains misappropriated articles or items that would endanger the health or safety of the resident or other residents. A search of a resident's backpack or travel bag conducted under this section must be reasonably related to the objectives of the search and not excessively intrusive in light of the age and sex of the resident and the nature of the suspected misappropriated or harmful items. Following a search of a resident's backpack or travel bag authorized under this section, the administrator or designated staff may confiscate any items found in the resident's possession that are misappropriated or that pose a health or safety risk to the resident or other residents.