Pubdate: Mon, 01 Oct 2007
Source: Whitehorse Star (CN YK)
Copyright: 2007 Whitehorse Star
Contact:  http://www.whitehorsestar.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1493
Author: Stephanie Waddell

COURT RULING LETS DRUG DOG INTO SCHOOL

Porter Creek Secondary School's drug awareness  co-ordinator says 
he's disappointed having his dog,  Ebony, enter the school for the 
program came down to a  matter of winning and losing.

This morning, Yukon Supreme Court Justice Ron Veale  ruled the school 
can bring Ebony in on a daily basis as  part of the Canines for Safer 
Schools program, which is  being run by Doug Green.

School principal Kerry Huff also expressed  disappointment at the way 
the case had played out,  telling reporters he had hoped the school 
would find a  way to accommodate the student.

Throughout the case, the court heard the Grade 11  student plans not 
to attend Porter Creek Secondary  after the dog is brought in for the 
Canines for Safer  Schools program.

"It's extremely unfortunate," Huff said of the student  leaving 
Porter Creek Secondary.

The Yukon Human Rights Commission had dismissed a  complaint about 
the program brought forward by the  student's family, due to her 
serious allergies to  animals.

The family subsequently applied for an interim court  order banning 
the dog until a judicial review of the  commission's decision is heard.

While Green expressed disappointment the issue had to  go to court, 
he said he's excited to begin the program  in full tomorrow.

The school held off in starting the three-year pilot  project last 
year as the human rights commission  considered the complaint.

Green started his work in the school in September, but  the dog was 
kept out pending Veale's ruling.

Ebony is trained to detect and indicate the presence of drugs.

In similar programs Green has run in Alberta, the dog  has acted as 
both a deterrent from students bringing  drugs into school and as a 
point of contact between the  students and Green, the court heard 
this morning as  Veale reviewed the background in the case.

He pointed to the student's allergy, noting that while  the skin test 
for it hasn't been applied, three doctors  have confirmed the 
allergy, which causes hives,  swelling and itching.

The student carries an EpiPen with her at all times to  deal with any 
emergencies, and doctors have recommended  she avoid animals to deal with it.

They also confirmed that allergens are likely carried  by animal 
owners into public places, it was noted.

The school had a plan in place to accommodate students  suffering 
from dog allergies.

It included reduced exposure to the animal for those  students and 
introduced a rigorous cleaning schedule  for the dog.

The plan also keeps the animal on a leash at all times,  kept it away 
from classrooms where there are students  with allergies, and 
maintained a high standard of  cleanliness throughout the school.

Officials maintained a file of allergic reactions  students at the 
school have and implemented the proper  first aid responses and 
emergency plans to deal with  allergic reactions.

The student, however, was not prepared to take the risk  and will not 
be attending the school if the dog is  brought in daily.

Her family had proposed the dog be brought in randomly  for searches 
with a warning given to the student so she  could stay at home on those days.

It was argued in court that random searches would  reduce the 
effectiveness of the program in keeping  drugs out of the school and 
would raise Charter of  Rights and Freedoms issues around searching lockers.

Veale said he was satisfied the case brought forward by  the 
student's family wasn't frivolous and met the test  for irreparable 
harm with the Grade 11 student leaving  the school of her choice 
which she's attended since  Grade 8.

He concluded in this case, however, the public interest  in pursuing 
a drug-free environment in the educational  facility should prevail.

After dismissing the application, he noted the court  will assist the 
family in having a timely hearing for  the judicial review of the 
human rights complaint.

After expressing his disappointment that an  accommodation couldn't 
be found, Huff said Ebony will  be at the school tomorrow morning.

Many students have been questioning Green about when  Ebony will be 
joining him.

"They've embraced it," he said of the program, noting  that since his 
arrival, he's done 10 classroom  presentations.

"The dog is the mascot," Green said, noting at his  previous schools 
where he worked, the students have no  problem remembering Ebony's 
name, but don't always  remember his.

Having Ebony with him permits the program to move  forward more 
quickly as students approach the animal  and talk to him.

It also helps keep drugs out of the school as students  learn of 
Ebony's abilities in detecting drugs, Green  reiterated.

"It's all about little steps," he said of dealing with  drugs in the school.

In additional to praising Huff and the school council  at Porter 
Creek Secondary for the program, Green also  said he's pleased to see 
other work in the community  being done by the RCMP and city bylaw to 
tackle the  drug problem.
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MAP posted-by: Keith Brilhart