NHS TO HOLD CANINE DRUG SEARCHES

NARRAGANSETT - The Police Department and school administration have agreed
to use canines to search the high school campus for drugs.

The searches would be done when students are taken out of the hallways and
in a central location to minimize contact between the canine units and
students. But some people remain skeptical that such a move is necessary to
help deter young adults from using drugs.

The decision to move ahead with the searches was scheduled to be discussed
last night at the School Committee's monthly meeting, after the Independent
went to press. The push for the searches comes after several students were
caught with marijuana on the way to Narragansett High School. Recent SALT
survey results also have shown that as many as 47 percent of students have
been approached at school with a conversation regarding drug use.

"The problem seems to be widespread enough to make us do something," said
Narragansett Police Chief J. David Smith. "It's a drug-free campus. We will
use measures to ensure that."

The random searches, which would not be announced, would be completed in
conjunction with shelter-in-place drills, which were started as a safety
measure after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. When students are taken to the
central meeting location, officers will enter the building and sweep it with
drug-smelling canines. The dogs would search locker areas, classrooms and
areas around campus, such as the student parking lot. According to Smith,
the searches would be concentrated on specific areas and not just the
overall campus. In the 20-minute drill, the police would target specific
areas such as a hallway or the parking lot.

"Students will not see the dogs," said Superintendent Dr. Pia M. Durkin.
"Students will not be in the hallways at that time."

The proposal is part of an ongoing attempt to stem the growth of drug use
among students and was brought about with input from police, school
administrators, faculty and students. Durkin said the main goal is to create
a drug-free, safe environment and allow students freedom from drugs in
school.

"Students would take a great risk having drugs," Durkin said. "We would hope
this would deter students from bringing the drugs into school."

According to officials, if the canines found a scent in a locker or a car, a
school official would have to confirm drugs in the area and a student would
be disciplined as necessary.

"If it'll be enough of a deterrent to keep drugs out of school, we've done
our job," Smith said. "This is noninvasive."

Drug searches are not uncommon in the state. In fact, Narragansett High
School had one last year in the morning before school started. Searches also
were conducted several times last year at Westerly High School.

According to Smith, the major problem in the school is marijuana, not drugs
such as cocaine, crack or heroin.

Some believe that the use of searches are extreme. Tom Angell, an advocate
for effective drug legislation, believes that searches could be a step in
the wrong direction. Angell is a local resident and also on the Board of
Directors of Students for Sensible Drug Policy, an advocacy group with 200
chapters nationwide.

"For an education system to work efficiently there needs to be an atmosphere
of trust," Angell said. "It's clear that searches show there's no trust
between administration and students."

Furthermore, Angell believes that money expended on searches could be put to
better use revamping drug education programs.

"We have to recognize some kids are using drugs and we can't always stop
it," Angell said. "We have to do a better job making sure they are aware of
what drugs do and that there are effects."

The American Civil Liberties Union also generally does not condone random
searches. At press time, representatives of the ACLU could not be reached
for comment.

In some cases searches have turned ugly. At Stratford High School in Goose
Creek, S.C., a drug search was conducted Nov. 5, in which officers
handcuffed students at gunpoint while dogs searched backpacks and lockers.

A situation such as this is to be avoided at all costs, according to school
and police officials.

"Students will not have dogs sniffing at their ankles," Smith said.