DRUG-SNIFFING DOGS APPROVED FOR ABBY SCHOOLS

Drug-sniffing dogs have been approved by the Abbotsford school board
and will be prowling local schools as early as next month.

In a somewhat controversial decision school board trustees voted
unanimously in favour of the drug policy at Monday night's board
meeting. It comes on the heels of complaints from the B.C. Civil
Liberties Association that the dogs would infringe on students'
privacy and falsely label some kids as drug users.

"We have tried to open their eyes but they have ignored our warnings
and seem more interested to impress with the message that they are
getting 'tough on drugs,' " said BCCLA executive director Murray
Mollard in a release.

However, the board's decision was met with praise from those who
attended Monday's meeting and from students at W.J. Mouat Secondary
School.

"I'm thrilled with the school board," said Bernadette Fielding of the
local group Support Teens in Overcoming Problems. Fielding has six
kids and says "it feels good" knowing the district "is going to do all
it can" to stop them from doing drugs.

Of the seven students interviewed at Mouat on Thursday all of them
supported the new policy.

"At our school we shouldn't have anything to hide," said Grade 11
student Matt Chapdelaine. "It's illegal . . . and it shouldn't be a
big deal because we're not supposed to have them anyway."

Trustees said drug use is rapidly increasing - some called it an
epidemic - and they feel it's their duty to try and stop it.

"Drugs are an extremely serious and escalating problem in our school
district and society at large," said school board vice-chairman John
Smith. "And it's been getting worse, not better."

Statistics back up Smith's comments. In the 2000-01 school year there
were 89 suspensions in Abbotsford related to drugs or alcohol. Last
school year there were 195.

"Drug abuse, it affects every single person, every single family,"
said trustee Cathy Goodfellow. "I don't see it [dogs] as a drastic
step. We're fighting a war that's taking kids daily."

Trustees were quick to point out that the search dogs - which will
check middle and high schools on a random basis - will be the same
ones that do checks at airports and borders.

"If they're well-trained enough for those circumstances they're
well-trained enough for our schools," said school board chairwoman
Joanne Field, noting that the dogs will be golden labs or beagles and
will only be trained in searching, not attacking.

She added that the searches will be conducted during class times or
outside of school hours.

If the dog smells drugs in a locker the number of the locker will be
taken down and an administrator will open it at a later time, she said.

"I think our administrators are pretty sensitive," said trustee
Uultsje DeJong, the driving force behind the policy.

Field says the board is going to hire a private company to carry out
the searches - not Abbotsford police officers as was originally an
option. She says once a company has been hired, which should be
"pretty quickly", the searches will commence.

"If we were ready there could be dogs in schools tomorrow," she said.

"I am not naive enough to believe this policy will stop drug abuse,"
summed up Smith.

"But we've got to do something."