DARE OFFICERS, SEARCHES PART OF STRATEGY TO KEEP DRUGS OUT OF LOCAL SCHOOLS

Random locker searches, DARE officers and drug dogs are helping to
decrease the number of drug incidents in Greenwood and Abbeville
county schools.

"In my findings, I was happy to discover that the number of students
who have been caught with drugs has decreased. The percentage dropped
38 percent from the 2004 to 2005 school year," District 50 Assistant
Superintendent Robert McClinton said. "Then, there were 13 incidents
where students were found with drugs; this past year, there were only
eight incidents. When you look at 16 schools with 9,400 kids in total
population and you only have eight incidents, it's pretty good, but
we would love for it to be none."

Cathy Stevenson, assistant superintendent of Abbeville County
schools, also said drug incidents have decreased because of random
searches and education provided by DARE officers.

"We have never really had a problem with drug incidents in Abbeville
County schools. We have just been very fortunate," Stevenson said.

Even with random searches and DARE programs in place, Keith Mallon, a
VIDOC agent with the Greenwood County Sheriff's Office, said he
thinks parents are the key to keeping students away from drugs.

"We stress to parents that communication is very important. The more
you find out what your kids are doing, the better," he said. "Also,
monitor their peer groups and make sure they are hanging out with
good people."

This year, high schools, middle schools, career centers and
alternative schools in Greenwood and Abbeville will undergo random
searches to locate drugs and weapons on campuses. "Resource officers
plan to continue working to maintain the level of drug safety and
awareness," Lt. Tara Scott, of the Greenwood County Sheriff's
Office, said. "The school district has several means to do that. One
is to request presence with the canine unit. Hopefully, this will act
as a deterrent, if students are aware that random searches of
vehicles and lockers are going on."

"Students who are found with drugs on school campuses will be
prosecuted just like they would if they were not on campus. If they
are a juvenile they'll be turned over to juvenile services, and if
they are 17 or above they can be treated like an adult," Scott said.

"The Student's Rights and Responsibilities handbook requires all
administrators to recommend students for expulsion if they are found
with drugs on campus," McClinton explained.

While dealing with drugs can be scary for many students, Stevenson
says DARE officers in Abbeville County are teaching children about
the dangers of drugs and what to do if they are offered illegal substances.

In order to help students feel safe, Greenwood and Abbeville county
schools have developed ways to report incidents anonymously. "The
identity of a student who talks to a teacher, administrator or
resource officer is always kept confidential," McClinton said.

Despite having only eight incidents of drugs on campus last year,
McClinton said he thinks the increased involvement from
administrators, faculty, parents and the community could help the
number of drug-related incidents in school decrease even more.

"The emphasis and commitment of faculty and school administrators to
place strong emphasis that it won't be tolerated and directly
addressing situations has helped deter drugs," he said.