DERBY HIGH SCHOOL TO SEARCH FOR DRUGS; NO STUDENTS FACE ARREST IF CAUGHT

DERBY -- In an effort to keep drugs out of Derby High School, the
Board of Education is calling in the dogs. Supt. of Schools Janet
Robinson is asking the Derby Police Department to bring drug-sniffing
dogs to the high school this spring to perform hallway sweeps of
lockers. Similar efforts are in place at surrounding school
districts, including Ansonia, Shelton and Stratford. Robinson said
she hoped the effort would proactively stop students from bringing
drugs to school.

"From the winter into the spring, the problem always gets worse. This
is an attempt to put a protocol in place," she said. The Board of
Education on Thursday authorized Robinson to enter into a memorandum
of understanding with the Police Department that establishes a
protocol for when the dogs will be used and what will happen if drugs
are found.

"We have a zero-tolerance policy towards drugs on school grounds,"
said Board of Education Chairman Martin Hubbard. "We want to get the
message out that they won't be tolerated. They shouldn't be a part of
our students' lives."

Once the agreement is in place, Robinson said she hoped to have one
sweep in February and a second later in the spring. Robinson also
said she wanted to create a protocol that did not necessarily result
in an arrest if a dog sniffs illegal drugs outside a closed locker.
"We're inviting the police in, so we can retain the control. We're
not out to arrest students. We just want the drugs out of the school."

Robinson said students suspected of having drugs in their lockers
would be handled administratively. Stratford Detective Capt. Thomas
Rodia said his department had such a procedure in place with
Stratford High School, where sweeps are performed as frequently as
once a month. Stratford administrators accompany the canine officers
during the operation, Rodia said, and note the lockers identified by
the dogs. The principal or security officer then opens the locker
after the police leave. In Shelton, on sweeps in the past, police
have opened lockers and made arrests after finding drugs, according
to police officials.