Pubdate: Wed, 04 Apr 2001
Source: Duncan News Leader (CN BC)
Copyright: 2001 Duncan News Leader
Contact:  http://www.duncannewsleader.com
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1314
Author: Steven Addison

SCHOOLS GOING TO THE DOGS?

Cowichan school trustees may consider letting the RCMP police dog randomly 
patrol schools in search of illicit drugs.

Superintendent Brian Hoole is scheduled to make a report to the school 
board tonight, launching trustees into a debate about using Gator - North 
Cowichan/Duncan RCMP's tracking dog - to keep lockers contraband free.

But if trustees share the view of some principals and their students, the 
debate will be a short one.

Almost everyone, it seems, thinks using the sniffer dog is a good idea.

"I just think if they're stupid enough to bring (drugs) to school then why 
should they hide it?" asked Erin Bower, student council president at 
Cowichan Secondary.

"I totally think it's a good idea. It's school; you're supposed to be there 
to learn. It's (drug use) just not necessary and it bothers me because a 
lot of people think it is."

Const. Mike Field, the RCMP's school liaison officer for the Cowichan 
Valley, asked the board in January to consider using Gator in middle and 
secondary schools, after parents and administrators pitched the idea to him.

The request was denied after a closed-door meeting Jan. 24, because some 
trustees were concernerd about illegal searches and seizures.

But the superintendent and the constable recently met again and Hoole 
suggested the board re-open debate.

The School Act allows administrators to search lockers and confiscate 
illegal items, but as soon as police are called a search warrant must be 
obtained.

"Under the School Act (if there's) reasonable suspicion (administrators) 
can go in," Field said. "Once they call us in they become our agent, then 
at that point we have to get a search warrant."

Natalie Ward, a Grade 12 student at Cowichan Secondary, knows of students 
who use drugs but denies it is a problem at her school.

"I don't know if it's a major problem, but it definitely is happening," she 
said.

School District policy dictates that students found under the influence or 
in possession of alcohol or illegal drugs will be punished via suspension.

A first offence warrants a maximum five-day suspension. The penalty 
increases to 15 school days for a second offence and the student could be 
transferred to a different school.

For multiple offences a student can be suspended for the remainder of the 
school year and re-admission will only be granted once the board of 
trustees receives assurance the offender is receiving treatment from a 
"recognized substance abuse agency."

Students suspected of trafficking must be immediately referred to the RCMP.

The penalties apply to every student and are enforceable any time parents 
or guardians would reasonably expect their kids to be under the 
jurisdiction of the school district.

"This includes on the way to and on the way home from school, times when 
the student may have left the school property, at school dances, on field 
trips, or as a spectator in attendance at or a participant in an 
extra-curricular activity," the policy states.

Such sweeping penalties may seem to provide ample deterrence, but they 
haven't stopped kids from breaking the rules. Some principals believe more 
deterrence is both necessary and appropriate.

"I think anything we can do to deal with the problem that surfaces from 
time to time in the schools is good news," said Maureen McPherson, 
principal of Chemainus Secondary. "Anything that can be done to ensure 
we're keeping a safe atmosphere for learning is a constructive move."

Al MacLeod of Frances Kelsey also likes the idea of using Gator and thinks 
it would help drug users avoid long-term addictions.

"We were told by a number of agencies in the community the use of drugs and 
the quantity of drugs is at a peak right now and anything we can do to draw 
people's attention to the affects it has on the ability to learn is 
worthwhile," said the principal.

"It's not a case of just doing it for the result of punishing people, but 
identifying students who might be heading toward serious dependencies. That 
would be the thrust of it."
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MAP posted-by: Larry Stevens