CANINE LOCKER SEARCHES PANNED BY SCHOOL BOARD

The superintendent of the public school board has had offers from a number
of private companies offering dogs to sniff out and search her high schools
for drugs.

The offers started pouring in three weeks ago after Composite high school
principal Phil Meagher told his students he was considering bringing in the
canines.

But Kath Rhyason said the public school district isn't interested in the
idea right now.

While Rhyason said the school board will be reviewing the policy on drug
prevention in schools, she added that using the animals isn't an option she
would support.

She prefers the method currently in place.

"(The current method) isn't perfect," she said. "But we try to be proactive
and do it in an educational way."

More than a year-and-a-half ago, an ADAAC counsellor was hired to work with
the city's three high schools. The counsellor has been used to deal with
drug abuse cases proactively.

Rhyason said that during this academic school year, not a single expulsion
for drug-related reasons has been brought to the board. "This tells me that
this system is effective."

Rhyason believes that by sorting through any drug-related issues with the
use of the school's ADAAC counsellors, the system is teaching discipline
rather than punishment.

"Discipline teaches self-respect," she said. "Whereas, punishment is
reactionary."

Rhyason believes every high school has a drug problem and stressed that she
doesn't want to paint a rosy picture of what is going on in schools.

She said that what the high schools are trying to establish is simple.

"If you want to try those things, don't try them at school."

While Rhyason said her district respects that every student is an
individual that is cared about, she did admit that drug-sniffing dogs would
be an easy way to deter drugs in schools.

She said that bringing in the dogs wouldn't harm any student at school for
an education, but might prevent students using school as a spring board for
illegal activity.

"But, we'd never do anything illegal," she stressed.

Rhyason explained in order to make the presence of drug-sniffing dogs
legal, the board would need to change its current policy.

She said the board will be meeting with both high school principals soon to
hear about what's the current situation is "on the front line."

"From there we will make some recommendations."