DRUG DOGS ENLISTED TO PATROL PLYMOUTH SCHOOLS

Principals Back Action As Rate Of Expulsions Continues To Increase

PLYMOUTH - Drug-sniffing dogs will soon be roaming the parking lots and
halls of the town's two high schools in an effort to reduce drug use at both
schools.

School committee members last night gave Principals Robert O'Day and John
Siever permission to use the dogs on a sporadic basis.

The first drug sweep will be announced ahead of time through notices sent
home with students, Siever said. Later sweeps will be unannounced, he said.

No date has been set for the first visit by the drug dogs.

Over the last three years, expulsions for drug use rose from six to 17
students at Plymouth North High School, Siever said.

In 2001 and 2002, the students expelled were caught with marijuana, Siever
said. In 2003, nine of the 17 students expelled were caught with marijuana.
The rest were caught with pills, he said.

At Plymouth South the numbers were smaller, but rising, O'Day said.

"The idea is to determine and discourage drug use,'' O'Day said.

"We don't simply want to catch students; we want to discourage the activity.
We committed to reducing drug activity by 5 percent in our school
improvement plan. Bringing K-9 units in would help achieve that goal,'' he
said.

Siever said a recent poll found 40 percent of students reported seeing or
being involved in drug activity at school.

School committee member Jane Freedman recommended reviewing current drug
policies to make sure they are in line with police policies to avoid the
kinds of problems encountered by Duxbury High School.

Duxbury's zero-tolerance drug policy became a problem when students were
expelled from school even though they were never charged by police.

Both O'Day and Siever said they believe all Plymouth students expelled were
also charged by police.

But Freedman and committee Chairman James Sorensen said they had heard
otherwise from the parent of an expelled student.

Still, Sorensen had no problem with having different procedures for police
and schools.

"Police are not pressing charges, but the school is,'' he said. "That puts
us in a difficult position, making us look too harsh. But I have no problem
with the schools taking action even if police don't.''