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As far as the broad constitutional question goes, I do not think a warrant is required at a school, because students do not have a reasonable expectation of privacy at school. It's not their personal space and it's not for their personal use. Safety, security and liability are a major concern for schools, because, let's just assume, that if this girl had prescription medication and the school didn't do anything about it, and one of her friends took it and got hurt, the school would be facing that lawsuit, too.
In this particular instance, I think the school may have gone too far, though it doesn't sound like the search was as horribly invasive as a strip search could have been. The headline sure preps you to read a story about a girl who got a cavity search from an old, sketchy security guard. The girl is claiming some stunningly serious emotional distress from the facts presented. I can imagine feeling ashamed and violated, but not going back to school for months, transferring and ulcers? Claiming that the school "ruined her life" by doing this search? That's quite the accusation. It sounds like the nurse and secretary conducted the search about as professionally as you can conduct a strip search.
I'll be interested to see the final decision.
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