SCHOOL DRUG POLICIES DIFFER

Steamboat Springs -- Czar's bark commands attention. His keen sense
of smell has failed him only once as a state-certified, drug-sniffing
dog, and it has secured him a job uncovering narcotics for the Moffat
County Sheriff's Office.

On March 7, Czar, a chocolate Labrador retriever, and his handler,
Moffat County Sheriff's Office Sgt. Courtland Folks, made a special
trip across county lines to roam Hayden High School's hallways and
parking lots. The message they sent was clear -- drug use and
possession will not be tolerated at the school.

It was Czar's first trip to a Routt County school, and it shouldn't
come as much of a surprise that it was the Hayden School District
that invited him and Folks.

Hayden has arguably the most proactive drug policies of any Routt
County school district. But district officials in Hayden, Steamboat
Springs and South Routt agreed there aren't right policies or wrong
policies. Rather, they said, each district has adopted a drug policy
that is philosophically in line with the beliefs of the district and
its community.

Hayden High School conducts random drug searches, including visits
from drug-sniffing dogs. It also reserves the right to randomly drug
test its students.

Hayden High School Principal Troy Zabel said the March 7 visit from
Czar was in line with the school's random drug testing policy, and
that it served as a good educational experience.

"My main reason for bringing the dog in was to use him as a tool for
a learning experience," he said. "We wanted the kids to know that
while we're not going after anyone, we are looking."

Zero Tolerance

Steamboat Springs High School is the only school in the county to
maintain a "zero tolerance" policy in regards to drugs, officials said.

Superintendent Donna Howell said students are not to bring any
tobacco, alcohol or illegal drug onto school grounds, and they face
stiff punishment if they violate that policy.

Drug-sniffing dogs have never entered the high school, she said.

"As a district we have not discussed random drug searches such as a
dog," she said. "We would not put anything like in place without
community input."

In 2003, when Hayden's current drug policy was enacted, parents
expressed concern that students' civil liberties were being
compromised and that the policy created an "us versus them" feeling
by requiring any student who leaves campus to submit to random drug testing.

Zabel, who was not the principal at the time the policy was
instituted, said the policy has served the school well.

"It was a philosophical decision based on the high rate of students
coming to school under the influence," he said. "We feel like this
policy does a good job. The biggest thing is that we're not out to
get anyone or trying to catch and string anyone up. We're trying to
be proactive by letting our students know we support them but that
certain behavior is not tolerated."

Steamboat Springs High School Assistant Principal Kevin Taulman said
he and Principal Mike Knezevich came from school districts that used
random drug testing, and that while they have discussed whether to
implement random drug testing, the school would not implement
anything without strong support from the community.

"I think using drug dogs is just a tool, and I hope any administrator
would tell you that it's purely a preventative measure," Taulman
said. "There's no way I'd ever move forward with something like that
without tremendous support from the (Steamboat Springs School Board)
and the community."

If the discussion ever did surface, parents and community members
likely would come out against such a policy citing invasion of
privacy and civil liberty issues, he said.

Routt County Sheriff Gary Wall, who campaigned on a platform of
protecting civil liberties and constitutional rights, agreed.

"Without having reason or probable cause, I probably wouldn't bring a
dog in to indiscriminately sniff lockers in Routt County schools or
any other public institution," he said. "That's not what the Routt
County Sheriff's Office is about. As I've said before, just because
it's legal doesn't mean it's right."

Wall said he has not yet met with area school administrators in the 2
1/2 months since he became sheriff. He said he's eager to discuss his
ideas for drug enforcement and educational opportunities in schools.

"I think in-depth drug education is part of the solution," he said.
"My hope is that administrators and parents will bring their concerns
to me and allow my office to investigate those concerns without using
a blanket technique like drug-sniffing dogs."

Education = Enforcement

School officials, medical professionals and law enforcement officers
alike agree that drug education is key to teaching children and
teenagers about the dangers and risks of using drugs and alcohol.

Garrett Wiggins, task force commander for the Greater Routt and
Moffat Narcotic Enforcement Team, said the days of D.A.R.E. -- Drug
Abuse Resistance Education -- are over, and that schools and law
enforcement agencies are taking more aggressive approaches to drug education.

"We know for a fact we do have drugs in most of our high schools and
that our students do experience drug-related problems," he said.
"It's something we should all be concerned about."

Wiggins said schools bolstering strong educational programs and
making school resource officers available to students help deter some
students from using drugs.

Dr. Dan Smilkstein, who helped develop the SteamboatCares survey at
Steamboat Springs High School, said he always is amazed at how
nonchalant students are about their drug use. The SteamboatCares
survey asks students to be candid about their social behavior. The
surveys are filled out anonymously.

"The biggest surprise to me is how matter-of-fact (the students) are
about their behavior," he said. "It is absolutely acceptable to them.
It's so commonplace."

Smilkstein said while drugs are a huge issue in schools, alcohol
always will be the No. 1 substance abused by teens.

"There's a national trend that kids are using all the drugs that have
always been around, but at a much younger age," he said.

While school officials can implement policy and enforce punishment
for using or possessing drugs, most teens use drugs during the day
away from campus and then return to school, he said.

"That's what prompted our policy," Zabel said. "We were having some
serious issues with students leaving our campus and coming back under
the influence," he said.

Czar's visit to Hayden High School may have been his first, but it
won't be his last, Zabel added.

"We will definitely do follow up," he said. "I was very satisfied. I
think it opened up a good experience for us to talk to our kids and
get the word out."