SCHOOL BOARD APPROVES K-9 SEARCHES

Panel Also Sets Policy To Crack Down On Absences

EAST HADDAM -- - With little fanfare, the board of education voted
this week to allow the use of police-trained dogs to detect drugs,
alcohol and tobacco on school grounds, and adopted a new attendance
policy that will crack down on excused absences.

The new policies will be added to the student handbook and go into
effect in January. There was no discussion before the board
unanimously approved both policies, which were lumped in with such
mundane items as the dates of next year's board meetings.

"The community is determined to do everything we can to prevent drug
and alcohol use, and this is just one more tool for us to do that,"
Superintendent Ellen Solek said. "Drug use is actually going down
among our students, but awareness of the issue is going way up."

The new drug and alcohol policy will allow the administration to
call on local police to use drug-sniffing dogs for both targeted and
random searches on school property, including cars, lockers and
desks. The dogs also can search for bombs.

Under the new policy, the administration can call in the police dogs
if it believes drugs, alcohol or tobacco are on school grounds. In
such a targeted search, the individual who is responsible for the
area in question will be notified, but does not have to be present.

The policy also allows for random, off-hours drug-dog sweeps. Solek
said administrators did not know how often they would call for such
random searches.

In the past, a principal who suspected a student had drugs in school
conducted the search, which was usually witnessed by the student.
The search had to be limited to school property, such as a locker.
To search personal property, like a purse, a student's
permission was required.

The drug-dog policy does not change the district's policy of
informing the police of all drugs, alcohol and tobacco use or
possession in the school or the discipline that awaits a student
found in violation of the district's policies, Solek said.

The new attendance policy will deny course credit to habitually
absent high schoolers -- five times in a half-year course or 10
times from a yearlong course -- even if the parents send in notes to
excuse the absences. A student who cuts two classes would also lose credit.

The policy allows the student to appeal a credit loss to a review
board made up of a school nurse, a teacher, a counselor and the
assistant principal. At that time, the family can document the
student's excused absences and request credit restoration.

The list of excusable absences includes documented illness, funeral,
religious observance, school-sponsored activities, court appearance,
a college or military visit, school suspension, field trips or
mandated counseling.

A family vacation, however, is not on the list.

High school Principal Linda Dadonna requested the new policy to
close a loophole allowing parents to send in notes to excuse student
absences for almost anything, even a "hangnail." The board nixed the
idea of eliminating excused absences altogether.