DRUG-DOG PROPOSAL GETS COLD SHOULDER

Allowing drug-sniffing dogs into schools is heavy-handed and won't
prove effective in ridding the hallways of illegal drugs, according to
a number of candidates in the upcoming election.

Twenty-year-old Chad McRae, a school trustee hopeful who graduated
from Surrey's L.A. Matheson Secondary two years ago, says while he
agrees some security measures are needed, the canine initiative simply
won't work.

"I knew people who used to bring drugs to school," he says. "It's
going to continue ... they'll find other ways around it, other ways to
hide it."

The concept of dogs being brought into local schools for random
searches was floated last week by Trustee Heather Stilwell, who sits
on the city's drug-crime task force, a group of 27 elected officials
and experts seeking ways to reduce substance abuse and related crime.

Both McRae and council candidate Jim McMurtry believe education about
the consequences of drug use should come before enforcement
initiatives.

"This is quite simplistic," says McMurtry, a teacher at Princess
Margaret Secondary. "The answer for someone taking drugs isn't to take
away their hiding places. We need to create an understanding that this
is a very destructive behaviour."

Bill McGregor, principal of Rick Hansen Secondary in Abbotsford, has
used dogs for random searches at his school for several years. While
drugs have never been found and no charges laid, he strongly believes
in the program.

"If you put up those kinds of barriers, you're going to marginalize
their proliferation. It's as much a psychological deterrent than
anything," McGregor said. "There's suspicion (of drugs) every day in
every school...and if there isn't, there should be." Chris Silvester
is a drug and alcohol counselor and an independent school board
hopeful. Like other Surrey candidates, he says education and harm
reduction should be top priorities.

As a parent and an educator, trustee candidate Pauline Greaves finds
the drug-dog concept deplorable.

"It is a shortsighted solution that will not benefit either students
or the system. This is a totalitarian approach to dealing with a
social issue," said Greaves.

Eighteen-year-old council candidate Gillian Rosenberg agrees, saying
the proposal is too forceful.

The current school board has made it clear talks surrounding the dog
initiative are preliminary, and that the curriculum is in the process
of being retooled to include drug awareness education in early grades.

Trustee Mary Polak has also indicated the use of dogs would not
proceed without comprehensive study, public consultation, and
extensive policy development.

In a letter Friday, Information and Privacy Commissioner David
Loukidelis asked the Surrey board to provide a privacy impact
assessment (PIA) as soon as one is completed to confirm trustees have
fully addressed the implications for students' privacy.

In a press release, he raised concern about private companies - who
are not covered by privacy legislation - having access to personal
information of students. Once the PIA is complete, Loukidelis will
bring any specific concerns he has to the board's attention.