TRUSTEES EXPECTED TO OKAY POLICY ALLOWING DRUG DOGS TO SEARCH STUDENTS' LOCKERS

Surrey Now

SURREY - Drug dogs could be used to search students' lockers under a new
policy proposed by the Surrey school district.

But it doesn't mean authorities will have carte blanche to conduct random
searches of lockers.

The powers are contained in the school district's new Safe and Caring
Schools policy which trustees debated at Thursday's school board meeting.
Trustees are expected to approve the policy, which deals with a number of
issues, at their May 13 meeting.

Trustee Heather Stilwell says principals already have a lot of power when
in comes to school security and discipline but the board wanted to entrench
that power on paper.

"We wanted to give the principals all of the tools that they could have,"
said Stilwell.

"The drug dogs will probably not be used very often but we wanted it to be
in the policy that the principals could, in consultation with the RCMP,
call for that."