The Sublette County School District No. 1 Board of Trustees argued at the meeting on Nov. 12 over whether or not students and parents should be informed before drug-sniffing dogs tour Pinedale High School.

Ultimately, Superintendent Doris Woodbury encouraged the board to trust PHS Principal Barbara Leiseth to make the right decision for the school.

Leiseth held an assembly at the high school last week, with the drug-sniffing dogs as the special guests, in order to teach students about the dogs before the searches took place.

Leiseth said she wants to tell the students it is possible that searches will happen, then execute investigations unannounced.

“Just like a fire drill,” she said.

However, some board members said informing the students would reduce the efficacy of the drug searches.

“I would like to inform them that it's going to happen, just out of respect for [the students],” said Leiseth.

“What about the respect to my kid or me?” said board member Shawn Buchanan.

Leiseth said the other reason the drug-sniffing dogs' visit was postponed was because the high school did not have an official “lock-in” procedure on record.

The lock-in procedure is necessary to keep students in the classrooms while the dogs are searching the school. Leiseth said the school has since created a procedure for that.

Leiseth and Woodbury argued notification would prevent drugs from entering the school and help promote a drug-free school.

“Drug dogs are for two purposes: one is prevention and the other is to catch somebody who has drugs on them,” said Woodbury.

Some board members felt that would interfere with the goal of a drug-free community, though.

“I was against notification of anybody before the dogs came in,” said board member Mike McFarland, “but I do understand that everybody has to be aware that that's something that's going to be on the table from now on, and there is not going to be any forewarning or anything down the road.”

Sandra Sikorski said she has worked with students with substance abuse problems before and said notification would not reduce the efficacy of the searches.

“Just because you tell them that you have a dog coming in at some point in time, doesn't mean it's going to stop them from bringing drugs into the school,” she said.

Sikorski said students think they are smarter than the dog and will take their chances.

“If they're doing it now, they're going to do it again,” she said.

Because the school owns the lockers, the police officers can immediately open and search them if they are suspicious.

The dogs may also tour the parking lot, since the school owns it, but the police officers must obtain a warrant from the judge before searching vehicles.

For the complete article see the 11-20-2009 issue.

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