Searl v. School District No. 2 was a United States Supreme Court case that addressed the issue of whether a school district could be held liable for the negligence of its teachers. The case arose when a student, Searl, was injured while playing a game of tag in the school yard. Searl sued the school district, alleging that the teachers had been negligent in supervising the students. The Supreme Court held that the school district could be held liable for the negligence of its teachers. The Court reasoned that the school district had a duty to supervise its students and that the teachers were acting as agents of the school district when they were supervising the students. The Court also noted that the school district had a duty to exercise reasonable care in the selection and retention of its teachers. The Court's decision in Searl v. School District No. 2 established that school districts can be held liable for the negligence of their teachers. This decision has been cited in numerous subsequent cases involving school districts and their liability for the negligence of their teachers.

Justice Field delivered the dissenting opinion in Searl v. School District No. 2, arguing that the majority's decision was an unconstitutional infringement of state sovereignty and a violation of the Tenth Amendment to the United States Constitution. He argued that Congress had no power to pass legislation which would interfere with or control any action taken by a State in its own internal affairs, such as providing for public education within its borders. Furthermore, he noted that if Congress were allowed to pass laws regulating matters traditionally left up to states, then it could eventually lead to federal usurpation of all powers reserved for states under the Constitution - something which should be avoided at all costs. In conclusion, Justice Field believed that allowing this law would set a dangerous precedent and urged his fellow justices not to allow it stand without further consideration from other branches of government first.