TECHNICAL SCHOOL OFFICIALS DEBATE DRUG SEARCHES

Officials at A.W. Beattie Technical School are trying to come to a
consensus about using dogs to sniff out drugs.

Board members are expected to vote on the idea at a meeting.

School director Kathryn Bamberger said there have been two incidents so far
this year in which marijuana pipes were found on students. In one case,
administrators found marijuana.

While Bamberger suggested the idea, she said she is ambivalent about using
dogs for searches.

"I can go either way with that," she said.

Beattie serves nine school districts in the North Hills - Avonworth, Deer
Lakes, Fox Chapel Area, Hampton, North Allegheny, North Hills, Northgate,
Pine-Richland and Shaler Area. All except North Allegheny perform random
dog searches in their schools.

Charles Smullin Jr., Beattie representative from the Hampton School
District, said he favors searches.

"We have done this at Hampton," he said. "I think it serves two purposes:
'Do we have a problem or not?' This will let us know if we do. Two, I do
think it acts as a deterrent. If the students know that at anytime they
could be in the classrooms and dogs are searching the lockers, I think
that's a deterrent."

Shaler Area Superintendent Donald Lee, who also acts as superintendent for
Beattie, said his district contracts out with a security service.

"We contracted with a firm to provide security systems. They demonstrated
to the kids how the dogs would operate, basically," he said. "The dogs
don't search kids. They search the lockers."

Beattie Solicitor John Vogel said any policy would conform to all
constitutional guidelines.

Two board members, those from North Allegheny, raised eyebrows at the
proposition.

"Our policy doesn't support random dog searches," said Beth Ludwig of North
Allegheny. "I don't know what that means legally to our kids if they are
brought here and can be searched at any time."

Karen Boujoukos, also from North Allegheny, said she needed more
information before voting.

"I think I probably would support it with a lot more documentation," she said.