STUDENT SUSPENDED AFTER DRUG SEARCH AT SOUTH KINGSTOWN HIGH SCHOOL

SOUTH KINGSTOWN -- One student was suspended after the police
conducted the first-ever drug search at South Kingstown High School.

Five drug-sniffing police dogs inspected lockers and the parking
lots on Friday morning as students and staff remained in the
classrooms under a lockdown drill.

The dogs -- supplied by the Westerly, Narragansett and the State
Police -- detected drugs in five lockers, Capt. Jeffrey Allen said
yesterday. As a result administrators searched 15 lockers as the
police stood by, he said.

A small amount of marijuana was found in one. The 16-year-old boy
determined to be in possession of the drug was suspended from school
activities for five days and has been referred to drug counseling in
lieu of Family Court, according to police reports.

The dogs also indicated a presence of drugs in two cars, but none
were found after the students consented to a search of their
vehicles, Allen said.

Principal Robert B. McCarthy Jr. said he consulted with Police Chief
Vincent Vespia about undertaking a search months ago as a means of
"ensuring that students are in a safe, drug-free environment."

He made the decision to conduct the drill, which would also test the
school's emergency capabilities, in conjunction with Supt. Robert
Hicks and his assistant principal, he said. Any staff or
administrators who were not directly involved weren't notified to
ensure secrecy, he said. The School Committee learned about the
drill Friday -- after the fact.

The search was not a reaction to an alarming drug problem, McCarthy
said. But he pointed to School Accountability for Learning and
Teaching surveys over the past two school years that indicated that
as many as 35 percent of students questioned had been offered drugs.

According to state Department of Education data, 10 students were
suspended for possession of drugs in 2002 and 2003.

"I don't know if the problem in South Kingstown is any different
from any other school district," McCarthy said. But, he said, he was
pleased to have sent the message to students that drugs will not be
tolerated in the school.

He said that although only one student was found to be in
possession, the district could not conclude that the school is
drug-free. Searches will be conducted periodically, he said.