The Dexter Leader
A Heritage Newspaper
Weekly Publication
Board to consider DHS K-9 visits
By Sean Dalton, Staff Writer
PUBLISHED: January 3, 2008
A rash of drug paraphernalia finds by Dexter High School administrators may lead to visits from the K-9 unit in the near future.
DHS Principal Kit Moran addressed the Board of Education this week to discuss the idea. The measure will not be voted on until the Jan. 5 board meeting.
"The fact of the matter is that there is marijuana in that high school," he said at the meeting.
Moran isn't necessarily interested in making busts in his building, but would rather use the K-9 searches as a deterrent to protect "the 99 percent of kids that have to avoid the kids that will sell marijuana."
According to his memorandum to the board, the drug items have been found at "odd times of the day" and efforts unassisted by law enforcement to catch the drug-dealing students have been fruitless.
"My belief is that clearly the vast majority of students at DHS do not violate the student code of conduct in any way," Moran wrote. "However, I know that many of them do not like the fact that other students damage the reputation of DHS kids and teens in general by using drugs at the school."
Moran and his administrative staff have discussed the recommendation that he gave the board this week and determined that only a few dogs accompanied by numerous officers would comprise the search effort. A lock-down drill to contain students to classrooms would accompany the search.
Building administrators acknowledged a "perception of authoritarianism" with the procedure, but Moran felt that most students would appreciate it.
"I would like to respect the rights of the great kids of Dexter High School," he said to the board. "It makes me angry to think that kids bring that junk into the high school."
Moran went on to explain that the district can't just profile "shady characters" and bring them into the office for a search, so the district's options are limited.
Mill Creek Principal Jami Bronson said that her building didn't necessarily have a perceptible presence of marijuana, but there have been other drug issues.
"We have seen some issues with prescription drugs, but most of the other stuff has been outside of school," she said.
She took the opportunity to state that the school policy stipulates at least a ten-day
Not all stories are guaranteed to appear
online. The Web edition contains a reasonable
sampling of the print edition stories.
For the most complete news coverage, we invite you to
subscribe
to the print edition of the paper.
Expanded
Web
Coverage
TOP JOBS
