YOUTH OPINION: SNIFFING OUT DRUGS AT VENICE HIGH

The principal of Venice High School and a parent committee will seek the
school board's approval on Tuesday for a one-year pilot program to use
drug-sniffing dogs. While the golden retrievers or Labradors will be
brought on campus primarily to sniff for illegal drugs in students' book
bags and lockers, the dogs also pick up the scent of gunpowder. Several
other school districts throughout the state have implemented similar
programs. High school students and Bud Jacobs, principal at Venice High
School, spoke about the proposed program with MARY REESE BOYKIN.

There are more important concerns at Venice High School than drugs. Last
year, there was a stabbing on campus. There have been shootings near the
campus. I don't understand why so much attention is given to drugs when
many students fear for their lives.

I have always hated people searching me or my things. Last school year,
there were random searches with metal detectors. If security had any
suspicions, they would search your pockets. The use of dogs invades
students' privacy. But administrators must do what they have to do to keep
drugs out of school.

I think this program will work because students will be afraid to
bring drugs to school. It may completely stop drug use at school.

JASON HOCKENBURY 16, sophomore, Venice High School

It's all about respect. If students don't respect authority, then school
officials have to be more authoritative. So if students cannot be trusted
on their own not to bring drugs to school, administrators must take the
leadership to make schools drug-free.

I think the good thing about using the dogs is that students won't feel
harassed. Students are in class, the dogs can sniff the lockers. But I
think this program will work because students will think twice before
bringing drugs on campus. They won't hold drugs for friends. The clear
message to students is that they can't just walk on campus and smoke
marijuana at nutrition break.

ERDOLO EROMO 17, senior, Crenshaw High School

If a drug or gun problem exists, it should be controlled in some way. But I
think that the use of drug-sniffing dogs is a violation of students' civil
rights.

At Calabasas High, random classes were selected for the drug-sniffing. The
kids were called out of classes as the dogs sniffed book bags. The dogs
also sniffed the lockers and the parking lot. Any drugs in a book bag,
including certain medications, were detected by the dogs and caused
concern. The sniffing was an invasion into students' personal lives. If
drugs are a serious problem on a school campus -- destroying the learning
environment, endangering everyone, making students feel nervous about
attending school -- some drastic action must be taken. In a situation like
that, the rights of the majority to have a safe learning environment are
more important than for a majority of students not to be searched.

But at Calabasas High, I don't feel that there is a drug or weapon problem,
or maybe just in isolated cases. The magnitude of the drug-sniffing
searches was greater than the magnitude of the drug problem. The use of
drug-sniffing dogs was, therefore, a violation of students' civil rights.

LISA HILL 17, senior, Calabasas High School, Las Virgenes school district

Having the dogs sniff for drugs is going to be great. I think that it helps
sometimes to check randomly for drugs and guns. Students who use drugs may
at least stop using them at school. Possibly, there will even be more
security on campus. It won't just be the bad students who will be checked,
but also the good ones; those who nobody is suspicious of will not get away
with having drugs.

RONALD GONZALEZ 17, senior, Venice High School

School is not a prison. Students come to school to learn. Dogs should not
be used, but as long as the dogs do not sniff people, then maybe this
program will be OK.

I have witnessed students bringing drugs to school. Sometimes, the drugs
are kept in book bags; other times, in lockers. I think kids bring drugs to
school to impress other students, to look cool. Respect for schools has not
stopped students from bringing drugs there. That doesn't work. I have seen
no other serious method that works. If students know drugs will be sniffed
by dogs, they will be afraid to bring drugs to school.

CESAR ALVARADO 16, senior, Los Angeles High School

The Principal's View
BUD JACOBS
Principal, Venice High School

This is a tough issue because the use of dogs in policing is frequently a
negative image. There are seeing-eye dogs and there are police dogs. These
golden retrievers and Labradors are going to be our seeing-eye
dogs--enabling us to see what may be there that we aren't now seeing. The
dogs can also detect gunpowder. No other school in the LAUSD is willing,
like Venice High, to be first to try this.

The plan calls for two dogs to be on campus for one-half day visits,
scheduled randomly. We have a 29-acre campus. Drug-sniffing dogs are used
at some airports. Shouldn't schools be as safe as airports?

Forty schools in California use this program. Culver City, La Mirada,
Monterey and Temple City are among them. The drug-sniffing dogs are
effective as a deterrent.

We don't have a big drug problem; we are trying to keep a small problem
from getting bigger. We want to move from zero tolerance to zero presence.
That's it. We want to make sure that there are no drugs on campus.

As principal, I plan to ensure that students' rights are not violated by
making sure that students are properly informed. There will be an assembly
with students, information will be sent to parents, signs will be posted on
campus.

The dogs do not sniff children. They sniff book bags, lockers, cars, desks.
Their purpose is to detect. The dogs begin the process. School officials
investigate further.

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