YISD OKS DRUG-SNIFFING DOGS ON ITS CAMPUSES

EL PASO - Ysleta Independent School District trustees on Wednesday
approved the use of drug-sniffing dogs at middle school and high
school campuses as a way to deal with the escalating drug war in Juarez.

Officials said the drug war has forced drug cartels to recruit
students from El Paso schools to get drugs moved in the U.S.

"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," County Attorney Jose Rodriguez said.

The district will pay a private company $7,200 to perform unannounced
visits to campuses as early as this school year.

J.R. Martinez, the chief of security for Ysleta, said the district is
trying to be proactive in confronting the situation in Juarez.

"Our vigilance has increased, our security measures have been
heightened, our training has been modified," Martinez said. "All
those things are a result of what's going on in Juarez."

Rodriguez said that when school districts in El Paso employ tougher
drug prevention policies, they help curb the consumption and traffic of drugs.

Last year, a Horizon High School graduate and a student pleaded
guilty to recruiting students in a marijuana smuggling ring that
transported drugs between Juarez and Oklahoma City.

The smuggling ring involved about 15 current and former students with
ties to the school in 2007.

Trustee Liza Montelongo said that the growing drug violence in Juarez
is not the reason she voted to bring drug-sniffing dogs to the campuses.

The district in recent years has lost focus on drug-free programs and
board members are looking to increase efforts to keep children safe,
Montelongo said.

"We are at a time where we need to do a little more to address any
drug issues that might be in our campuses," she said.

Montelongo, however, said that the district has taken several steps
to deal with the violence across the border.

She said the board requested extra security for schools along the
border and asked administrators to seek funding from the Department
of Homeland Security for security cameras at those campuses.