LOCKER CHECKS ARE OPTION IF DRUG DOGS NOT ALLOWED IN SCHOOLS

DAWSON CREEK -- A northeastern school district says if plans to use
drug-sniffing dogs in high schools fall through, then random locker checks
may be an option.

"We may be moving to a circumstance where we will inform students right
from the get-go that we are going to be randomly checking their lockers and
that their expectation of privacy doesn't exist," said School District 59
administrator Rob Dennis.

The district may also consider setting up a website where students can
anonymously report school drug activity.

"It is not because we are interested in busting kids," said Dennis. "It is
because we want to gather information so we can guide those kids into
treatment."

The use of drug sniffing dogs in local schools has been shut down
indefinitely because of legal concerns, Dennis said, noting the RCMP had
been told courts found a similar situation in Ontario to be a violation of
privacy rights and had been advised against the practice.