Drug Free Means Just That....

Yesterday was a tough day. Working with the Chatham Police Department and the Barnstable County Sheriff's Department we conducted a sweep of the school parking lot with the BCSD's drug K-9 Morgan. Now, we have done this before and have also had the drug dog in our building many times over the past decade and in almost every instance, our search has come up empty. I am never disappointed when that happens. Unfortunately, yesterday was a bit different. The dog, whose training and sense of smell is truly phenomenal, indicated on several vehicles and, since that indication serves as probable cause, those vehicles were searched in the presence of the students to whom they belong. The search of three of the vehicles turned up nothing physical, however the dog's response indicates that at some point recently there had been some type of narcotic activity in each of those vehicles. Either someone, not necessarily the driver, had smoked marijuana or might have had some form of narcotic on their person while in the vehicle. The dog is that good! Those three students got a rather startling wake-up call and hopefully, after my conversation with the parents of each student that morning, some meaningful discussions ensued at home that evening. Unfortunately, one of the vehicles the dog indicated on did have both marijuana and paraphernalia in the vehicle. Even though a recent ballot vote resulted in decriminalizing this type of possession, this is still a clear violation of our school rules and has resulted in serious disciplinary consequences for that student.

I must say that I am disappointed in the results of yesterday's effort but not really surprised. I would have been very happy to have had the sweep turn up empty. That, unfortunately, is a rather naive expectation. I believe that there has been an increase in the use of marijuana among students and a rather cavalier attitude regarding its possession, in part, I believe, due to the change in the law. But it is important to point out, once again that the school rules have not changed and we will continue to do whatever is necessary to keep our school drug free.

Predictably, student reaction to yesterday morning's events were mixed. Some students thought it unfair that we would employ a police K-9 to check student vehicles for narcotics especially on a Friday when "students were more likely to have drugs in their cars." Others were clearly angry saying that the school has no right to conduct such a search and that we violated students' rights. I think those students must have missed that paragraph in our handbook where we clearly state on page 24 that, "All vehicles parked on school property are subject to K-9 serches for illegal substances." However, more encouraging were the reactions that suggested that students were "stupid" for bringing drugs onto campus and those that suggested that the search was a good thing because they want to come to a school that is free of illegal substances.

Well, students have been warned. We will continue to collaborate with the CPD and the BCSD to conduct searches both inside and outside our building according to the law. We will continue to hold students accountable and do whatever is necessary to keep our school safe and drug free. From what I have heard from faculty, parents, and community members, this is the right thing to do to protect our kids. Some may disagree. Either way I would like to hear from you.