CAMPUS K-9S: JUAREZ VIOLENCE NECESSITATES MOVE

In these days of increased security in our schools, using
drug-sniffing dogs on middle- and high-school campuses may not seem
out of the ordinary.

That's the measure that was approved at Wednesday's meeting of the
Ysleta Independent School District Board of Trustees.

And the reasoning behind the action is rather sobering.

It's not a reaction to a rash of drug problems in the district. It's
more a reaction to the violence that continues unabated in Juarez.
That's somewhat chilling and yet another testimony -- as if more were
needed -- about the depth and reach of the drug cartel-driven mayhem
across the border.

The concern is that the drug war is causing drug cartels to go onto
campuses on this side of the border and recruit students to get drugs
moved in the United States. Why are the cartels focusing on secondary
school campuses here?

According to El Paso County Attorney Jose Rodriguez, "They used to do
it a lot at the Juarez nightclubs, but because a lot of people are
not going to Juarez anymore, they have focused a lot of attention in
our schools."

And J.R. Martinez, security chief for the Ysleta district, said, "Our
vigilance has increased, our security measures have been heightened,
our training has been modified. All those things are a result of
what's going on in Juarez."

The problem is not without precedent. In 2008, a Horizon High School
graduate and a student pleaded guilty in a smuggling scheme that
recruited students to smuggle marijuana between Juarez and Oklahoma
City. The ring involved 15 current and former students.

The YISD's action is commended as a necessary preventive measure and
timely intervention. As Rodriguez said, such measures help curb drug
consumption and smuggling.

The YISD's action is yet another indication that the effects of the
Juarez cartel wars are spilling across the border into the United States.

It's particularly disturbing that these effects are showing up, at
least in part, among our young people and on school campuses.

Students -- and parents and teachers, for that matter -- should be
able to consider schools as safe havens. They shouldn't have to fear
the violent unknown and should be able to concentrate on learning and
setting a foundation for their futures.

It's good to see the YISD taking proactive measures to ensure campus safety.