Seneca Valley students step into investigators’ shoes for Constitution Day
JACKSON TWP — In recognition of Constitution Day, Seneca Valley Senior High students passed up textbooks for real-world scenarios, assuming the roles of investigators and lawyers to see how constitutional rights guide law enforcement.
Juniors and seniors in Heather Perella’s fifth- and ninth-period criminal investigations classes dove into an activity focused on the Fourth Amendment, which protects citizens from unlawful searches and seizures.
“This activity, I think just brings it (constitutional law) into focus,” Perella said. “Part of it is, what are my protections as a private citizen? But also, as an investigator, I need to know what I can and can’t do under the law.”
While in groups of three, students weighed all of the evidence in past criminal cases that have been brought before the Supreme Court and have shaped United States law. After affirming what kind of evidence was presented, they attempted to match it with a certain case.
The exercise aimed to move beyond textbook learning, giving students a chance to experience firsthand all of the complexities of the justice system.
Throughout the activity, students debated scenarios and applied legal reasoning in a way designed to mirror real-world criminal investigations.
“They’re talking and collaborating with each other,” said Perella, who is in her 20th year of teaching. “They’re recalling information about what we’ve already learned, too. It’s just spectacular.”
Perella, who is in her second year of teaching the class, said students informed her on end-of-year surveys they would have liked to have learned more about the law enforcement side.
Later in the semester, students will collect evidence from a mock crime scene inside of Perella’s classroom, determining what evidence needs recorded and photographed.
“With each of those scenarios, we build on more specifics and I give them a crime scene and sometimes it’s multiple crime scenes,” she added. “A lot of the time, it’s based off of real cases. They’re constantly bringing back their thinking and skills as they progress through learning new things.”
While a portion of her students don’t plan on going into the criminal justice field, Perella said it’s still a worthwhile class that teaches them real-world skills that can be applied to any career.
“I tell them, ‘You’re learning deductive reasoning, critical thinking and communication skills,’” she said. “All of those are skills for the 21st century. We’re doing it in here and I think, doing it in a fun way.”
