But what the hey -- I'll argue the 14th wasn't needed because the protections to individuals granted in Bill of Rights applied as limits to all governmental entities that were joined to or di join to the Unitied States.
And I'll argue that the Civil War was fought as a police action to assure that Mason's Virginia Declaration of Rights (as recast into the Bill of Rights) was treated just so.
As to the school -- a school is like a ship, and the Principal like a Ship's Captain. On board, his authority is supreme. That's "strong indivdualism" -- for the Principal is an individual. Ideally the School Board could remove him as a check, but his actions except if illegal, immoral, gross incompetence, or extraordinary are not reviewable. Just my ideals.