DRUGS RAID AT SCHOOL - PRINCIPAL CALLS IN POLICE

A TASMANIAN high school principal said yesterday he had received nothing
but praise for his decision to call in police with sniffer dogs to check
students' bags for drugs.

The bust happened at Brooks High School in Launceston's northern suburbs
late last week.

Principal Dennis Betts confirmed yesterday that the police had attended the
school at his request.

The 520 students at the school had their bags checked by dogs, with one
student caught with marijuana.

A spokeswoman for Education Minister Paula Wriedt said it was the first
time a Tasmanian school had asked police to conduct such a raid.

The spokeswoman said the decision had nothing to do with the minister and
such decisions were up to individuals schools.

Three drug squad detectives and two trained sniffer dogs and their
handlers, on loan from Customs, conducted the raid on Thursday.

Mr Betts said he had asked the police to attend the school to send a strong
message to the students and the school community.

"It was at my request and done with the full support of the school
council," he said.

"I did it not because I thought the school was full of drug users and drug
abusers.

"I did it because I wanted to send a message ... that school ought to be a
drug-free place.

"No one has the right to bring drugs to school.

"This was not a statement that Brooks is full of drugs."

Mr Betts said he had received only positive feedback from parents and the
community.

"The officers from the drug bureau and the detector dogs from the
Australian Customs Service came and had a walk-through of the entire
school," he said.

"They inspected school-bags in corridors and outside. In the very last bag
they checked they recovered a very small amount of marijuana in the
possession of a student."

Mr Betts declined to give the student's gender, age or grade, saying the
details were not relevant.

The police had given the student a formal caution and the school would also
take disciplinary action.

Mr Betts also said 98% of Brooks High students agreed with the concept that
schools should be drug-free.

"There was a degree of excitement and interest (when the police arrived)
but no sense of outrage, shock or dismay," he said.

"I think they appreciated what was going on. Every single comment I have
had has been entirely positive."

Opposition education spokeswoman Sue Napier agreed with the no-drugs policy
in schools but said there needed to be a policy covering drug checks in
government schools.

There could be problems for school heads or teachers if a common approach
was not taken across all government schools, she said.