SCHOOL SYSTEM HIRES COMPANY TO CHECK SCHOOLS FOR DRUGS

An outside company has been hired by the Columbia County School System
to check for drugs and other contraband in the county's schools.

Joe Kirkland, Columbia County Schools deputy superintendent, said the
searches are conducted by Daytona-based Sun State Specialty Canines,
Inc.

"This is simply to enhance what is already done by the sheriff's
department using their dogs," Kirkland said. "It's not to take away
from what they do, simply to enhance it."

Kirkland said Sun State Specialty Canines is certified with the United
States Department of Justice Drug Enforcement Administration and this
is the first year the school system has used the company.

Kirkland said the dogs are trained to pick up eight or nine different
drugs, alcohol, firearms and explosives. "Mostly any type of drug out
there, they will pick up on it," he said.

The company will do the searches at the request of the school system.
He said this is the only company the school system has ever hired to
check the schools for contraband.

The company searched the high schools earlier in the school year, but
most recently was Thursday when Richardson and Lake City middle
schools and the Challenge Learning Center were locked down as the
company checked for various contraband items that school children
might have, including drugs, cigarettes, alcohol, explosives and firearms.

The Columbia County Sheriff's Office was to be alerted if illegal
contraband was found at Lake City Middle School and the Lake City
Police Department was alerted if contraband was found at Richardson
Middle School or Challenge Learning Center.

According to Lake City Police Department reports, the search of the
Challenge Learning Center, the county's alternative school, yielded
two separate marijuana findings.

Lake City Police Department Lt. John Dubose said a tin container which
contained marijuana was found at the school in a commons area and
officials were not able to determine who it belonged to. He said a dog
also sniffed what was believed to be a small amount of marijuana in a
female juvenile's purse. He said reports say the child was suspended.

"The substance is being sent to the crime lab for testing to see if
criminal charges are going to be filed," he said.

Columbia County Sheriff Frank Owens said the sheriff's office didn't
receive any calls from the company finding anything at either of the
middle schools during Thursday's contraband sweep.

Two teams searched Lake City and Richardson middle schools at the same
time and then they joined up for the search at Challenge Learning Center.

Areas checked during the searches included classrooms, bathrooms,
lockers and the school gymnasiums. Kirkland said school system
officials tell the company's search team the areas they want searched
and time lengths of the searches vary.

"This is something the school system administration decided we needed
to do to help kids," Kirkland said. "This is not about catching them -
it's about helping them and helping them realize they don't need to
depend on this kind of stuff. If we find contraband, we turn it over
to the sheriff's office."

He said the decision was made at the beginning of the school year to
start the random sweeps of the schools.

"We had to have a meeting with the sheriff's office and the police
department to make sure we were all in agreement," Kirkland said.

The State Attorney's office also was contacted to make sure no law
enforcement personnel participated unless illegal items were found.
Then, the school system could file a citizen's affidavit and get law
enforcement involved.

"It's a mechanism to a tool where they can look in places for probable
cause, where we can't look into," Owens said. "It's a very similar
type process of what is used with retail theft. It's really a good
tool and the schools did it with our support."

Kirkland said the school system is allowed to do the contraband sweeps
because they don't have law enforcement involved.

"School system employees have the right to search lockers, bookbags
and other areas," he said. "Before law enforcement can check they've
got to have reasonable suspicion."

Owens said the sheriff's office has been out to schools several times
and conducted searches, but didn't find any drugs. He said people
complained that they weren't finding anything because they weren't
looking or because the sheriff's office called the schools and "tipped
them off" to a search.

Owens said with this company, that's not a problem.

"They just walk in and say, 'We're here to check the school,' and they
walk in with the dogs," he said.

The school system tells the team what areas to search.

"We are right there with the team and there's always somebody from
each school right there with us," Kirkland said. "Principals do not
know when we are coming - it's a total surprise."

Kirkland said there was nothing specific that prompted the searches.
"We just felt like it was time. It was the element of surprise."